Pillow Talk
by mypurplethoughts
Summary: Sasha Banks and Seth Rollins develop a special friendship after Sasha accidentally gets left behind at the arena and is in need of a ride.
1. Chapter 1

QUICK DISCLAIMER: Last time I watched WWE was in 2009 or 2010, and I was heavily shipping Randy Orton and Stacy Keibler. I have a separate account that's purely about them, but ever since the whole #SeshaBallins thing started, I got hooked and I've been obsessed! I'm very outdated when it comes to the WWE's storylines, but I'll try my best to get them both to stay in character. Hope you enjoy this first fic (of hopefully many, many more fics!). Reviews will be much appreciated.

…

Sasha Banks cursed herself silently outside the arena. It was late, and everyone had trickled out—she only realized this when she woke up a few minutes ago to find an empty locker room and her head was throbbing. She'd slept in after her match against Dana Brooke, and no one seemed to notice that she was still in there when everyone else started driving towards the next town for a quick show and a few appearances.

"Shit," she cursed again, looking through the Contacts of her phone to give Bayley a call.

Suddenly, the metallic double doors that led to the arena opened and Sasha's heart jumped.

Out came Seth Rollins, casually dragging his suitcase behind him while holding on to the keys of his rental. "Seth!" she called out.

The Man stopped in his tracks and turned, surprised to find Sasha jogging towards him with a look of relief.

"Sasha, hey! What are you still doing here?"

He was dressed in athletic shorts and a Black and Brave Wrestling hoodie—pushing his dark-rimmed glasses to his face, Sasha did the same and sighed.

"Can I get a ride?" she sounded a little desperate. "I fell asleep in the women's locker room," her eyes were casted downwards and she tugged on the strap of her backpack. Dressed in jeans and a plain tank top with a plaid polo over, Seth chuckled a little and gestured for her to follow him.

"How'd that happen?"

"Bayley thought I was riding with New Day, and New Day thought I was riding with Bayley so things got mixed up," she explained. All of a sudden, her phone started ringing. It was Bayley.

"Dude! I'm so sorry! I thought you were already riding with New Day, so Charlotte, Dana and I took off. We can turn around and come back for you—"

"Dude, it's fine," Sasha laughed a bit. "Don't worry about it. I found a ride, so no need to."

"Are you sure? Who're you with?"

"Seth was still here, so we'll just catch up to you guys."

"Seth Rollins?"

Sasha smirked jokingly. "Guess who's leading the race now, huh?"

Both women laughed, while Seth chuckled and opened the trunk to his car—loading his and Sasha's bags inside.

"Alright. I'll see you later, Sash. You guys take care," Bayley said before Sasha hit the red button on the screen.

"You hungry?" Seth asked as they fastened their seat belts.

"A bit. I haven't eaten since breakfast," Sasha tried not to sound sheepish.

"Geez, Banks. Come on," he drove off towards the nearest drive-thru. Once they ordered their food (with Seth paying even though Sasha insisted she pay for her orders), Seth exited to the highway. He turned on the Bluetooth device on the radio. "Go ahead and play your music," he told her. "It's going to be another two or three hours before we get to Connecticut."

"Cool," she said, shuffling through the playlists on her Spotify before queuing a few alternative hits.

It was silent the first few minutes as Seth cruised his way through—there wasn't much traffic at this hour, and the only thing he needed to worry about was not falling asleep on the wheel. He glanced over at Sasha—her head was leaned against the seat belt as she stared off into space. He wondered about how she was doing—they weren't the best of friends, but they were pretty close, and he watched her grow from her days in NXT up until she got called up. In fact, he made it clear a few times about how he wanted to work with her—she was incredibly talented and definitely one of the best female superstars he'd ever seen.

They sometimes talked about their personal lives, but Seth was never one to prod about hers—especially because he knew it had been rocky, based on the stories he was hearing in the locker rooms.

"How you holding up?" he broke the silence.

"Hm?" she snapped out of her trance. "If I had to be completely honest, not so good," she made a deep sigh. "We just finished signing the divorce papers the other day. It's official, but not a lot of people know yet. I don't exactly want to break it to the world just yet."

"I'm sorry for starting the whole Sesha thing—I genuinely didn't know this was happening until I heard the news from Bayley."

"It's alright. I started it, and I should have known better. It was such bad timing—I didn't think the Internet was going to go crazy over it."

Seth smirked. "Of course it would. You and me—we make a good-looking pair," he gave her a slight nudge. "It was only a matter of time before people made a couple out of The Boss and the Man."

Sasha laughed softly, "Have you seen the Photoshopped pictures? It's insane."

Seth laughed along, "Yeah, I saw those."

Sasha fell silent again. "I just hate how the Internet can be vicious. Once this comes out, they're all going to think it was somehow my fault, and they'd probably drag you into this whole mess even though the Sesha thing was just for fun and completely irrelevant to the real reason," she rubbed her temple to soothe her headache.

"Hey," Seth held her shoulder gently. "If it comes down to that, I've got your back. I'll have everyone think I'm to blame—it's who Seth Rollins is anyway."

Sasha gave him a small smile. "You don't have to do that. This'll pass. I just need to tune out the haters, that's all."

"Oh, I know you can. You're tough," he told her. "And if you ever need a friend or a ride, I got you."

"Thanks, Seth," she gave his forearm a light squeeze. "That means a lot."

"Do you want to talk about it, or no? Because we can just switch topics and I can rant to you about how excruciating it was to listen to Kevin and Sami debate over the best Chinese restaurant in Canada."

Sasha laughed out loud at the image, and that made Seth smile. She loved hanging out with the NXT guys, but she also knew how hilarious it could get—especially when they ended up arguing over trivial matters. They were all like family after all, and she was definitely thankful for it, especially during trying times.

"I'd be a fool if I say that I didn't see it coming. I've felt it for a long time now," she shrugged. "I guess I was just too busy focusing on my career, and making it to the top, and you know how it gets sometimes. My personal life was just something I couldn't prioritize as much, and I thought he understood, but it turns out he couldn't handle it anymore. I just wish he told me sooner, because maybe then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"I really am sorry, Banks. It's a shitty position, and I wish there was an easier way for you to get over it. But you'll be fine. Like I said, you're tough. You'll be able to pull through."

"How'd you do it?" she suddenly asked. "I mean, I know you guys weren't married yet—but you were engaged, and that still sort of counts."

"I tried to make things right after I screwed it up, but she just wouldn't have it anymore. It was fucking difficult, especially with the whole scandal. I mean, it wasn't my proudest moment," he shook his head. "I still want to kick myself in the ass whenever I think about it," he continued. "But I just poured my heart out into wrestling, and CrossFit, and having the school really helped get my mind off things."

They talked non-stop that night—about his injury and what he did for six months, about how her and the rest of the Four Horsewomen were really changing the game and even becoming a threat to the guys when it came to who gets the main spot, about their childhood dreams of becoming WWE Superstars, their heroes, how Seth had his eyes on Sasha's career the moment he first watched one of her wrestling matches.

"Did you really tear up at the NXT Takeover in Brooklyn?" she giggled, remembering the clip of him wiping something out of his eye.

"Geez, I had something in my eye!" he defended while laughing. "But I'll admit, that was one of the greatest matches I had ever seen. You and Bayley—you guys are something."

"But I'm your better friend, right?" she teased.

"Oh, you know me. I'm Team Boss all the way," he grinned, repeating a line he once said at the NXT All-Star Panel a year ago.

When they got to Connecticut, Seth pulled over at the hotel's parking lot and helped Sasha get her bags out of the trunk. "This was nice, Banks. We should do this again."

"Yeah, I had fun," she smiled at him. "Thanks for the ride and for the company. It feels good to be talking about stuff without being judged or pitied. I mean, it's the last thing I need right now, honestly."

"Like I said. I got you, Banks."

They walked together towards the hotel's reception to get their respective keys and head up.

"I'll see you soon, Banks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Seth."

…

So, what do you guys think? I wanted to get this first chapter out, but honestly, I don't really have a direction for the story yet. Any suggestions?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, everyone! Sorry about rushing the first chapter—I feel like I could have worked on it a little more, but I'm so rusty from not having written fanfics in the last 8 or 9 years? Haha. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Hope you like it! Please do leave a review.

…

News broke out about Sasha's divorce the following week, and every wrestling publication had pretty much reported about it. Most of them were fabricated of course, because not once did she comment on the issue, despite Hunter pushing to send a press release. When Sasha refused to give a statement, he just did his best to filter the news and keep everything on the down low. That was one of the great things about Hunter—he felt very protective of the Superstars he groomed; treating them like his own children, because it somehow felt like it. He did the same with Seth Rollins during the nude photos incident, and he would sure as hell do the same for Sasha Banks.

Sasha purposely refrained from checking and updating her social media, thinking it was best to lay low until the whole thing blew over.

As expected, fans were torn—some slut-shamed her and dragged Seth Rollins into the picture, some stuck by her side and defended her, while some went as far as to accuse her of cheating on her husband, which was, truth be told, the most painful one—she had never cheated on him; it was the other way around. Most of the Superstars in the locker room knew that, but it was something that they blatantly avoided talking about, to give Sasha the space she needed. Seth was right—she was tough; always keeping her head held high despite what everyone else was saying about her.

After Raw aired live, Bayley, Charlotte, Dana and Sasha headed towards Sasha's hotel room with chips, pizza, ice cream, cookies, wine, and beer. In an attempt to cheer her up, they decided to hold a movie marathon and play all the anime movies Sasha was in love with.

"Really, guys. We don't have to do this," Sasha insisted. "How about an Adam Sandler movie instead?" she suggested.

"No, tonight is your night," Charlotte asserted, pressing the Play button. "We don't have to talk about what's happening, but we want you to know that we're here and we've got your back."

Bayley nodded in agreement. "Besides," she continued. "You'd do the same thing for us."

Sasha smiled, fighting the lump that was forming in her throat. She was lucky to have a squad like them.

All of a sudden, they heard a knock from the door. The women looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Did you guys order room service?" Sasha asked.

"No," Charlotte shook her head. "Maybe it's one of the guys?"

Sasha shrugged and stood up to answer the door. It was Seth Rollins. "Hey," he grinned. "Got room for one more?"

"Seth?" Sasha had no idea why her heart beat faster than usual. "What are you doing?"

He gave her a smug look and invited himself in, placing two large paper bags of goodies on the coffee table. He nodded at the rest of the girls, who eyed him curiously. "Overheard you girls talking about movie night, so," he took out the contents of the paper bags. "I brought sushi—I know you love that stuff," he winked at Sasha. "I figured you guys took care of the ice cream, but I also brought some donuts, pasta, in case we get really hungry, and," he smirked, "In case we run short of booze, we've got this," he took out a bottle of tequila.

"Wooaahh!" Charlotte, Dana, and Bayley all exclaimed. "I was about to send you out for intruding," Charlotte spoke. "But seeing all this, you're welcome to stay," she grinned.

"Thank you," Seth took a spot on the floor and opened up a bottle of beer for himself. "So what's on the list tonight?"

"Sailor Moon," they all said in unison.

He was about to stand up and walk out then and there, but he remembered why he was doing this and so decided to stay. "Fine by me," he shrugged. "As long as we ain't doing Pokemon, I'm cool."

"Hey, Pokemon _is_ cool," Sasha rebuked, scrunching her cute nose at him.

He jokingly rolled his eyes and patted the spot beside him. Sasha took it, taking a sip of wine from her paper cup. "You alright?" he asked her softly, leaning back against the foot of the bed.

Sasha shrugged and sighed, "Could've been worse, you know? But I'll be fine. I just hope this will all be over soon."

"I took to Twitter today," he admitted. "I mean, I don't normally reply to stupid comments, but one of them got on my nerves, so I might have said something."

"Seeeth…what did you say?"

"Told him you were one of the most genuine people backstage and that if he was a true fan, he wouldn't be saying shit about you," he explained. "I mean, this coming from a guy whose handle was sasha_banks_fan1391. Geez."

"Just ignore them," Sasha shook her head. "Please?"

"I try, you know. I really do," he told her. "But it just gets on my nerves how people are quick to judge and say shit when they don't even know the whole story. It's frustrating," he ran his hand through his hair.

"Aw, Sethie," Bayley teased. "You're cute," she stuck her tongue out at him. "But seriously, Sasha. Seth's right. Coming from someone who knows the real reason behind everything, it sucks to see you getting the short end of the stick. You don't deserve any of this."

Sasha smiled at all of them, before suddenly breaking down into tears. It was her first meltdown since the divorce.

"Duuuude," Bayley ran to her and hugged her. Charlotte and Dana followed suit, as they gave her a group hug while Seth quietly watched, running his hand against Sasha's back. "It's okay. This is good. You can let it out," Bayley whispered. "We got you. It's okay."

After a while, Sasha blew her nose and took a deep breath. "You guys are awesome," she croaked out, wiping away her tears.

"Hey, how about we open up this baby, huh?" Charlotte grinned, taking the bottle of tequila.

"Now we're talking," Seth seconded, grabbing paper cups from the table and pouring everyone a shot. Sasha giggled gently and raised her glass, "To the greatest friends a girl going through a shitty divorce could ask for!"

"Hear, hear!" the rest of the girls cheered and gave her a toast.

"To swearing off men for the rest of my life!"

"Hear, hear!" all three women toasted again.

"Hey, I ain't toasting to that one," Seth made a face. "You'll get back in the game, Banks. Trust me."

All four looked at him—everyone but Sasha had tiny smirks on their faces. "I think you've got a little crush there, Rollins," Bayley said.

Seth raised his hands up, "All I'm saying is I'm Team Boss all the way. I said it once, and I'll keep saying it."

They all laughed and downed their shots.

It wasn't long before they finished off the tequila, and eventually the beer and the wine. When their movie marathon ended at past 3 in the morning, Seth looked down at the mess of pink hair leaning against his shoulder, snoozing while they sat on the floor. Charlotte was asleep on the couch, while Dana had made herself comfortable on one of the queen-sized beds. "Sash," Seth said softly, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. She didn't budge, so with one swift motion, he scooped her up from the floor and placed her on the bed opposite Dana's.

When he turned around, he found Bayley watching him, eyes gleaming while her hands were full with empty cups and paper bags.

"Let me help you with that," he offered, scooping up the rest of the mess and throwing them in the trash.

"Thanks for coming by," Bayley started. "You made things a little more fun."

"Heh," Seth replied. "Anytime. I just didn't want Sasha to be going through this herself."

"Yeah," Bayley sighed. "It sucks."

He took another glance at her sleeping form, watching her chest rise and fall against a purple _I'm A Hugger_ hoodie.

Bayley noticed this and her eyes lit up again. "You can join her, you know. I can sleep beside Dana."

Seth quickly turned around and glared at her. "Shut up," he said.

"I'm just saying," she said in a singsong voice while raising her arms up in defense.

After throwing the last few items from the floor, Seth made his way to the door—but not before making one final glance at Sasha.

Bayley caught him again and giggled.

"Shut up, Bayley," he rolled his eyes and pulled on the knob. "Goodnight. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Night, Bestie," Bayley called out after him.

The next morning, Seth scrolled through Instagram and was surprised to find a post from Sasha after her hiatus. It was a photo of her holding up the Women's Championship with a proud smile on her face.

"Sometimes, wanting to be on top comes with a price. I focused all of my time and energy on getting to the number one spot, on travelling, training and trying to be the best. Sadly, it took a toll on my marriage, which is why we did what had to be done. It's been a tough few weeks, but thanks to everyone for sending their love and support. You guys are the best," she wrote.

He read comments from a few of the superstars. Some sent heart emoticons, some sent kissy faces. Bayley even wrote, "I'm always here for you, Sash. #HugNBossConnection"

He liked the photo and decided to leave a comment himself. "You'll be alright, Banks. We got you."


	3. Chapter 3

Sasha sat alone at the hotel's restaurant, helping herself to some bacon, hash browns, and a bit of sunny side up. Breakfast was always the best part of her day, and there was something about hotel breakfast buffets that instantly put her in a good mood. The restaurant was quiet, and she got to catch up on some light reading. Though she portrayed a cool and confident character on screen, off screen, she was mostly a dork at heart and everyone backstage knew that about her.

Sipping her coffee, she felt someone approach her as she looked up to find the Man himself.

"Morning, Boss," he took a seat in front of her, placing a large plate of pancakes, bacon, sausages, and scrambled eggs on the table. "How you feeling?"

"Better," she smiled at him, taking a sip of her coffee again. "Thanks for last night. That was really fun."

Seth chuckled. "You girls barely even glanced at the TV. Some kind of movie night that was," he playfully rolled his eyes. Taking a sip of his own coffee, "What's your sched today?" he asked.

"Um, nothing much. I'm heading to the gym after this—with Charlotte if she wakes up from her hangover," she laughed. "Then I've got UpUpDownDown with Bayley—we're doing a rematch of Mortal Kombat," she grinned.

"Ha," Seth lit up. "That should be fun to watch. I'll come with. Do you get to do her makeup again when she loses?"

"I love that you automatically assumed I'd beat her ass again," she beamed.

"Team Boss all the way, remember?" he winked at her. She laughed and made a face.

They ate their breakfast heartily, keeping the conversation light and friendly. Once in a while, Seth glanced at her while she was eating. She did seem better compared to last night, and that was a huge relief. He hated seeing her so down and broken. He didn't know why, but he always felt protective of her—maybe because she was six years younger and there was still a lot for her to go through. He wanted to make sure she knew he was always there.

"What time are you headed to the gym?"

Sasha looked at the time on her phone. "Actually, 30 minutes ago."

"Charlotte's a lost cause. Come on."

...

Dressed in pink and purple printed leggings and a black tank top, Sasha made her way to the treadmill to warm up for a few minutes, while Seth went straight for the bench press, giving his back and arms a little stretch before starting. After a few rounds of doing their own thing on different stations, they met at the mats for core workouts.

Seth stood above Sasha while she laid down on a mat, hands grasping the back of his ankles as she slowly raised her legs up before he pushed them down with force, all while she tried to fight it back. After a few reps, they switched places, before doing a couple more exercises.

When they finished with gym, they parted ways—Sasha saying she was going to take a shower before kicking Bayley's ass at Mortal Combat later in Xavier's room.

"See you later, Banks," he went in for a half hug, but kissed the top of her head instead.

...

"COME ON!" Bayley growled. "What the hell!" she punched the buttons on her controller as Sasha pummeled her character and laughed. Sasha knew Sub-Zero's moves better than anybody, and Bayley's Liu Kang couldn't do anything about it.

"2 out of 3, baby!" Sasha exclaimed, adjusting her glasses and standing up to raise both her arms in the air.

Seth found it endearing, chuckling to the side with Sami, Kevin, Cesaro, Xavier, and Big E.

"Banks, you're unstoppable!" Xavier laughed, watching as Bayley bowed her head in defeat.

"That's right, I'm the baddest," she taunted them, doing her signature Boss moves and making them laugh all the more.

"Care to take on another opponent?" Xavier raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

"Bring it. I will take down anyone!

Xavier smirked and glanced at the rest of the guys before nodding his head towards Seth. Seth smiled—an evil gleam in his eyes. "We'll see about that, Banks," the Madden Champ stepped forward. "You haven't gone against me yet."

Sasha rolled her eyes, refusing to show that she was a bit intimidated. Bayley was a piece of cake, but there was a reason Seth was Madden champion. They chose their characters—her picking Sub-Zero as usual while he went for Johnny Cage.

"Let's go, Sasha!" Bayley cheered, clapping her hands on her shoulders and giving her a firm shake. "Beat Rollins' ass!"

"Wait a minute, what's at stake here?" Sasha pressed the Pause button. "There needs to be a stipulation."

"Really, Sash? You're that confident, huh?" Seth looked so smug; she fought the urge to kiss him on the lips just to shut him up. No, that definitely was not a good idea.

Sasha thought about it, before making up her mind. "If I win, you get to buy me coffee for the rest of the year."

"Psh, that's it?" Seth cocked an eyebrow. "Fine, you're on. But if I win," he flexed his muscles a little, "You're travelling with me for the rest of the year AND get to be my CrossFit buddy. Every town, every city—if I need a partner, no questions asked. You're there."

"Ahihihihihi!" Bayley giggled, and Seth fought the urge to push her off the bed. The rest of the guys laughed, giving Seth an approved look. That was a pretty good stipulation.

"Seriously?" Sasha made a face. It wasn't that she didn't like CrossFit—she just knew how addicted Seth was, and that he'd milk every opportunity to visit a CrossFit center everywhere they went. That sounded exhausting. "Whatever," Sasha shrugged, hitting the Play button. "Game on."

Though Sasha proved to be quite the challenge, even winning 1 out of 3 matches, in the end, it was Seth who scored the victory. "Ha-ha-ha! What did I tell ya, Banks?"

"Whatever, Seth," Sasha stood up, and jokingly kicked his shin. "Bayley, come on. Let's get out of here," she called out to her best friend.

"Not so fast, Sash," he grabbed her wrist gently. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at 8," he grinned. The Boss tried to hide the smile creeping up, so she rolled her eyes instead. "Sure, Rollins. Whatever."


	4. Chapter 4

It was a few minutes past 8am, and Sasha stepped out of the elevator to the hotel lobby wearing a simple green dress that flowed just below her knees. Her hair was down as usual, and she wore sunglasses to cover her eyes. Pulling her suitcase behind her and adjusting the strap of her backpack on her other arm, she made her way towards Seth Rollins who couldn't wipe the smug look off his face. He wore casual shorts, a shirt of some indie rock band he loved listening to, and had a cap on backwards.

"Morning, Banks," he greeted, helping her with her suitcase. "Want to grab breakfast first before we hit the road?"

"Yes. Please," she half-demanded, removing her sunglasses and slipping them on her head. "Breakfasts are sacred, and should never be skipped."

He chuckled lightly. "Alright, come on."

Taking advantage of the breakfast buffet as usual, Seth and Sasha helped themselves to loads of waffles, fruits, fluffy eggs, and fresh juices. When they sat on a table, they were joined by Roman Reigns. "Hey, guys," he put his own plate down. "Mind if I join you?"

"Hey, Ro!" Sasha greeted. "Not at all," she cleared her cellphone and wallet to make room. "Great match the other night against Rusev," she commented. "You guys sell the big dog thing really well."

"Thanks," he started picking on his food. "You guys leaving for LA this morning?"

"Yup," Seth replied. "We're catching a flight after breakfast, then maybe have time to visit that huge CrossFit center downtown," he grinned.

"Seriously, he got you to do that?" Roman teased, raising an eyebrow at Sasha.

She scoffed and pouted. "I lost to him at Mortal Combat—I'm required to be his CrossFit buddy for the rest of the year."

Roman threw his head back and laughed. "Cesaro must be so relieved!"

"Oh, whatever," she waved it off. "I'll live."

"Sasha, hey," Bayley lightly jogged towards them, looking a little worried. "I thought you guys left already?"

"We would've, but Banks here refused to skip breakfast so," Seth shrugged, sipping a bit of his coffee.

"Yeah, listen," Bayley took a seat beside Roman. "Sami and Kevin just left, and they said there were a few paparazzi waiting right outside the hotel for you."

Sasha coughed a little and pursed her lips. "Well," she shrugged. "They'll be on to me for a while."

"Jesus," Roman started, shaking his head.

Seth sighed, glancing at Sasha who seemed to have lost her appetite. "Alright, here's the plan," Seth started. "I'll get the car, load our stuff, drive by the side of the hotel, and meet you there."

"How can I meet you there without getting recognized? My hair doesn't exactly scream low key."

Seth took the sunglasses from her head and placed them over her eyes again, then got his cap and placed it over Sasha's head. "Got a hoodie to cover up the rest of your face?"

"I do," Roman unzipped the jacket he was wearing—it was an old merch of Shield's. He passed it on to Sasha, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Here, dude," Bayley removed an extra ponytail from her wrist and handed it. "Make sure none of the strands are seen."

Sasha looked at them all gratefully; her lips quivering. She really wouldn't trade anything for her WWE family. When the going got tough, they all had each other's backs.

"We'll let Seth go on first," Bayley started. "Then you'll follow okay? Seth, just make sure they don't follow you."

"I got it covered."

Tying her hair in a high ponytail and hiding as much as she could using Seth's cap, Sasha then adjusted the hood of Roman's jacket to make sure everything that needed to be covered was covered. The jacket definitely ate her up, almost covering the entirety of her dress. With a sigh, she looked up at them. "Do I still look like me?"

"You look like a kid," Seth laughed a bit, trying to ease the tension. "I didn't realize until now how tiny you really are, Banks."

"Shut up," she glared at him from under her disguise. "That's because I'm wearing Roman's jacket."

She was a little nervous. Normally, they all dealt with the paparazzi quite well. It was part of what they signed up for. Hell, Seth was hounded for weeks right after his scandal blew up, and the things they wrote about him were brutal. The difference however, Seth thought to himself, was that he was really the one to blame back then while Sasha didn't deserve any of this.

Feeling protective once again, he placed an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's get this over and done with."

Roman, Bayley and Sasha watched from inside as Seth made his way over to the valet to retrieve the car he rented that week. Waiting on the hotel's driveway, the car finally arrived just as someone from TMZ approached him. "Hey! Seth Rollins! Got a minute to spare for TMZ?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "What? Here to ask me again if I named my dog after Kevin Owens?"

"Actually, we wanted to confirm the rumors about Sasha Banks?"

"I got nothing for you, man."

"Alright, but have you chosen who your new best friend is? Are you Team Sasha or Team Bayley?"

Staying in character as a lousy way to throw him off, Seth looked at the guy and smirked. "Look, we both know what happened the last time I had friends by my side, okay? It wasn't exactly the happiest ending," he finished off with a signature smug look.

The guy left as soon as Seth entered the car. Making sure he wasn't followed, he drove around the hotel and parked along the side, then took out his phone to call Sasha. "Coast is clear," he said, while looking around.

"Okay," Sasha exhaled deeply, looking at Roman and Bayley. "Thanks again, guys," she hugged them both. "I'll return your jacket in LA, Roman."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "Go," he told her. "We'll watch from here."

Stepping out of the hotel, Sasha casually walked to where Seth was waiting a few meters away. A group of paparazzi was at the opposite side, too busy talking to take a good look at her. She hurried her pace a bit. Just a few more feet, she told herself, glancing behind just to make sure she wasn't being followed.

She caught one of them staring hard, his eyes squinting to see if she was someone they knew. She was, after all, dressed a bit skeptically. Turning around again, she made the last few steps to Seth's car, opening the door and sliding in fast.

"Oh my goooood," she exclaimed, suddenly laughing. "That was a thrill!"

Seth cackled and sped off, watching as Sasha removed his cap, Bayley's ponytail, and Roman's jacket. He looked at the time. "We're running a little late. But if we make the 10:30am flight, we've got time after lunch to hit the center."

"Ughhh," Sasha groaned. "Can't we just stay in and grab beer and pizza or something? I honestly don't want to be out in LA right now. That place is infested with guys like them," she gestured back at the hotel. "And I'm really in no mood to deal with it. Not yet at least."

She was being bratty, but Seth couldn't blame her. "Alright, fine," he gave up. "What do you want to do then, huh?"

"Curl up in bed, watch a good movie, and cry myself to sleep."

…

The flight to LA felt surprisingly quick—thankfully they didn't run into any more trouble. Seth wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle the situation this time, now that Sasha was more agit. It didn't help that they were seen travelling together, too. Maybe he should have thought about this arrangement a little harder.

When they got to the hotel, they each checked into separate rooms. Sasha gave Seth a small smile before heading up to hers, slowly dragging her suitcase along.

She took a quick shower, pulled over a pair of comfy shorts and a beat up Eddie Guerrero shirt from almost a decade ago, and made herself comfortable in bed. She dreaded being alone at times like these—her mind just wandered off until she would get lost in all of these depressing thoughts, usually about how and why things went wrong. It hurt too much to think about. Just as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, someone knocked on the door.

She opened it to find Seth with a large box of pizza and a pack of beer. "So I wasn't going to let you cry yourself to sleep," he entered the room and placed both the pizza and beer on the table. "We can just sit around here, watch whatever movie you feel like watching, and then I'll wait until you fall asleep—but you're not crying, got that?"

Sasha's eyes beamed and she fought the urge to cry again, wrapping her arms around Seth and giving him a tight hug. "Thanks, Seth," was all she said.

Seth wasn't sure what to do at first, but he wrapped his arms around her eventually and breathed in her scent. "Come on," he led her to the small table. "Let's eat."

After finishing the entire box and each drinking a couple of beers, they found themselves curled up on the king-sized bed, an arm's length away from each other.

Seth had begun opening up about his previous relationships—the engagement that broke off because of his infidelity, and how for a while he tried to make it work with the woman he cheated with.

"Do you regret it?" Sasha asked softly, watching as his expressive eyes still bore the pain of what he had done.

"Every damn day," he said. "There are a lot of things in my life that I would have done differently—that included."

They were silent for a while, until Seth spoke up again. "Why'd you get married so young?"

"I was 22, and was working all my life. I dropped out of school, so things were a little different for me compared to most kids. We met when I was 19, and I was working odd jobs here and there while training. We were in love and happy—so we got married," she shrugged. "Back then, I thought that was enough."

She traced invisible lines on the white bed sheets as she continued, "There were never any signs, you know? I just received a call from him three months ago saying he couldn't do it anymore," she sighed. "And then I found out he was sleeping around with another woman back home."

"Do you know her?"

"No," Sasha shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore. I just want to get past this and focus on all the good stuff that's been happening."

Seth smiled, and stuck his hand out. She smiled back and took it, as they fell into a comfortable silence until Sasha fell asleep.

...

Hooray! I am suuuuper enjoying writing this fic. Let me know if you guys are, too! Reviews are highly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Sasha woke up at half past 7 the next morning—she looked around to find herself alone in her room. Sometime in the middle of the night, Seth must have slipped out. The empty pizza box and beer bottles were kept neatly beside the trash can, and there was an unread text message on her phone.

"Breakfast at 8am?" Seth wrote.

"Just woke up. See you," she replied.

She took a quick shower and wore a plain white shirt with a pair of culottes, before heading down to the hotel restaurant.

"Morning, sunshine," Seth greeted. He was already drinking his second cup of coffee.

"What? No buffets today?" Sasha asked, taking a seat in front of him and looking through the menu.

"I figured we could order something instead," he shrugged, flipping through the pages. "And before you say anything, it's my treat."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "I can pay for it, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But consider this a friendly gesture. You seem to have a thing for breakfasts, so you know. I thought this would cheer you up."

Her eyes gleamed as she ordered a strawberry cheesecake waffle for herself. Seth got the breakfast steak with mashed potatoes and two fried eggs. "You know? You're probably the best travel buddy I've ever had!" she commented with a laugh.

In between bites, they talked about what their schedule was like for the rest of the week. "I have an autograph signing session later afternoon," Sasha started. "Then tomorrow, I'm doing a special appearance with Kevin and AJ to promote 2k17. Then um, Bayley and I are flying to Boston for the weekend."

"What? Why?" Seth asked. "Raw airs here on Monday."

"Yeah, we'll fly back on Sunday morning."

"What are you guys doing up at Boston?"

"Uh," Sasha looked down. "I need to get my stuff from Jeff's place."

"Oh."

They were silent for a while until Seth spoke again, "I can come with you."

"You don't have to. Bayley will be there. It'll be fine. It's not like I have a lot of things there anyway. Just a few clothes, books, and important wrestling stuff. And Max."

"No, I want to, Sasha," he said. "Come on, let me come with."

"Fine," she replied in defeat.

"Who's Max?"

"My dog."

"You have a dog?" Seth's eyes lit up.

"Yup, a pug. And he's cuter than Kevin."

"Hey, no other dog is cuter than MY Kevin."

...

"Roaaaad triiiip!" Bayley exclaimed as the three of them arrived at Boston Logan International Airport. "Well, not exactly. But weeeee! This is going to be fun! Us three together?! We should post a selfie on Instagram! The Internet will go crazy for sure."

Bayley raised her phone up to take a picture. Channeling her Boss character, Sasha sneered and stuck her tongue out, while Bayley's grin reached the side of her ears and Seth wore his usual scowl.

"With my awesome friends, _sashabankswwe_ and _wwerollins_. #TheNewShield #BossHugNManConnection," Bayley wrote in the caption.

After renting a car with Seth driving and Sasha giving directions, they settled in Sasha's quaint one-bedroom apartment. Bayley navigated her way like a pro—getting an empty glass from the cupboard in the kitchen then filling it with water before taking a drink.

"So Bayley and I will share my bed, and you can sleep on the couch," she told Seth, taking out a blanket and pillow from a cabinet and handing them. "Sorry, my place is small."

"It's actually pretty charming," Seth looked around. It had a modern minimalist touch—you could tell she didn't have much time to think about furniture or decorations. Bayley sat on the armchair and flipped through TV shows, while Seth took his spot on the couch.

Sasha went back and forth from her room to the living room to the kitchen, making sure everything was in place. "What do you guys feel like eating for dinner?" she asked.

"You want to do Neptune Oyster?" Bayley grinned.

"Ooooh," Sasha's eyes widened. "That's a good one. Yeah, let's do that. Let me go call my mom," she went inside the bedroom to grab her phone. While Sasha made a phone call, Bayley jumped at the chance to tease Seth.

"You really couldn't stay away, could you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seth leaned back, resting his head against his arms while his eyes were fixed on the TV.

Bayley snickered before leaning forward, lowering her voice. "Seriously though, what's the deal?"

"What do you mean what's the deal?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I really don't."

"Seth," Bayley's voice was stern. "Cut it out. There's got to be more than the whole 'travel buddy and gym partner thing'."

Just as Seth was about to reply, Sasha stepped out of the bedroom. "So my mom will meet us there at 7pm."

Bayley sat up and immediately grinned. "Cool. I haven't seen Judith in ages."

…

It was Seth's first time at Neptune Oyster, and the scent was enough to make him starve. Sasha's eyes lit up when she spotted her mom seated at the far-end of the restaurant. She almost looked like a spitting image of Sasha, except with shorter, brown hair and skin that aged just a little. "Mom!" she gave her mom a giant hug, only letting go after a few seconds. "Hi, sweetie," her mom leaned back to smile at her daughter, before turning her attention towards Bayley.

"Bayley, it's so good to see you again," she smiled, giving Bayley a hug as well.

"Mom, this is Seth Rollins," Sasha took Seth's forearm and made him come forward. "One of the guys at work."

"Of course I know who he is!" Judith playfully swatted her daughter's arm. "I never miss an episode of Raw."

Seth chuckled and bowed his head. "It's nice to meet you, Ma'am."

"Please. Call me Judith," she told him. "Come, sit," she gestured for everyone to join her at the table—Sasha beside her mom while Bayley and Seth sat opposite them.

"You doing okay, dear?" Judith started as soon as they gave the waiter their orders. "How are you?"

"Better than expected," she smiled, giving her mom's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I've got a pretty good support group," she beamed at Bayley and Seth.

"Good, good. You been eating alright? I hope you don't skip your breakfast," she told her firmly.

"Oh, I never do," Sasha laughed and made eye contact with Seth, who laughed as well.

Dinner was pleasant, and Seth found himself enjoying every last bit of his meal. They talked about their lives on the road, but mostly Judith just wanted to catch up with her daughter. When dinner was over, they said their goodbyes and Sasha gave her mom a giant hug again before parting ways.

When they got back to Sasha's apartment, Bayley called dibs on the shower first. Sasha prepped her bed and got an extra blanket for Bayley. "Are you good out there?" Sasha asked Seth, who was leaning against the door frame to her bedroom, watching her.

"Yep, I'm good. It was nice meeting your mom tonight," he said.

"She's cool, isn't she?"

Seth smiled and nodded. There was something so pleasant about meeting Sasha's mom.

As soon as Bayley finished, Sasha took her turn in the bathroom. "I'll just head downstairs and buy a couple of stuff from 7-Eleven," Seth announced loud enough for Sasha to hear.

"I'll come with you!" Bayley exclaimed with a grin, dragging Seth out of the apartment and slamming the door. "Don't think you can get away from our last conversation," Bayley started as soon as they entered the elevator.

Seth rolled his eyes—there was no escaping Bayley now. "Look, I care about Sasha a lot, okay? Like a lot," he emphasized. "And I know it sucks that she has to be going through this shit right now, so I just want her to know that she's got me around whenever she needs me."

"Yeah, you see," Bayley smirked. "I got that area covered already."

"Please," Seth replied, pushing the door of the building open and letting Bayley out first. "Just because you have the official best friend title, doesn't mean you're the only one who can be there for her."

"Are you looking for a title then?" Bayley pressed. "Because it seems to me that's what you're looking for."

Seth groaned. "Nooo," he shook his head. "Look, she just got out of a messy divorce and I'm pretty sure she's not rushing to get into another relationship just yet."

"Exactly, so where do you stand in all of this?"

"I just want to be there, okay? And I'll be whoever she needs me to be. End of discussion."

"Not quite," Bayley narrowed her eyes at him. "What if she needs you to be just a friend right now? What happens?"

"Then I'll wait," Seth looked at her directly in the eyes. "I'll wait for as long as it takes."

…

Seth and Bayley came back with a bottle of white wine and a few snacks. Sasha was already seated on the couch watching TV. After Seth took a shower, the three of them found their spots in the living room and played a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

"This is honestly my favorite Harry Potter movie," Sasha took a sip of her wine with eyes glued to the screen.

"Are you kidding me? Prisoner of Azkaban was the best one," Seth commented.

"Yeah, that's my second favorite. This one was just made to be dark, and I love it!"

"You're weird."

Once the movie ended, Bayley stood up and stretched. "I'm going to sleep you guys."

"Already?" Sasha pouted. She looked at the time. It was 1:12am.

"Yep," Bayley took her empty wine glass and put it in the sink. "Harry Potter is cool, but sleep is just waaay cooler."

Sasha laughed. "Fine, I'll follow in a bit."

She was lying comfortably on the couch, hugging the pillow she had given Seth, while Seth was on the armchair, legs extended on the coffee table. "You ready for tomorrow?" Seth asked as soon as Bayley was inside the bedroom.

"No," she answered. "But this needs to be done so," she shrugged.

"Can I ask you something?" Seth leaned more comfortably against the armchair. "What's up with breakfast? Why is it so important to you and your mom?"

Sasha smiled, and Seth could swear his heart stopped a little. "Well, before my brother passed away, my mom and I used to bring him to the hospital every morning for his sessions and at that time, we didn't have much—so we'd eat breakfast at the cafeteria. We'd share a plate of whatever was the house special, pretend it was a feast, and then I was off to work while she stayed. Breakfasts sort of became our thing."

"Now you get to feast on breakfast every single day," Seth chuckled.

"I know. I've come a long way!" she beamed, playfully doing a Boss pose. "And I just want to make sure my mom always gets a feast for breakfast, too."

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, in between heartfelt conversations about life outside the WWE, Sasha fell asleep on the couch as Seth watched her peacefully. He considered carrying her to the room and tucking her in beside Bayley, but decided against it. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep on the armchair with a look of contentment.

…

And that's it for this chapter! I'll try to insert more in-ring action in the following ones, but please do leave a review if you'd like to see more of backstage stuff or if you want me to incorporate on-screen storylines. Thanks, guys!


	6. Chapter 6

"So much for following in a bit!" Bayley commented the next morning, finding Sasha sleeping soundly on the couch, while Seth quietly watched TV.

"How does it feel to be replaced?" Seth grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh shut up," Bayley laughed, walking back inside the bedroom. "Dibs on the shower. Sasha wants to pick up her stuff this morning, so we can fly back to LA before lunch."

"Boss," Seth gently shook her awake. "Get up. It's almost 8am."

"Hm?" she propped her head up from the pillow. "Five more minutes?" her voice was still raspy.

"Come on, up, up up."

…

The drive to Jeff's place felt incredibly long for Sasha, even though it was just 30 minutes away. Both Bayley and Seth could feel her tension. "You alright?" Seth asked, making a right.

"Yeah, fine," Sasha nodded, telling him to make a left at the next street. "You can just pull up and park across that orange building," she pointed.

She took a deep breath as they went down the car and headed up her ex-husband's apartment. A couple of knocks on his door, and Sasha heard the familiar barks of Max. That made her smile. The door opened, and Jeff stood in the way wearing casual shorts and a Nike shirt. He was a couple of inches shorter than Seth, but looked older—with round eyes, slightly crooked teeth, and a flattop. "Hey," he greeted, giving Sasha a curt nod and doing the same to Bayley and Seth. "Come on in."

Just as Sasha stepped inside, Max came running towards her. She scooped him in her arms with a laugh. "Max!" she exclaimed, giving him a hug while Max kept licking the side of her face. "Oh, I missed you too," she whispered. "I missed you too, baby."

"Um," Jeff started. "I had a head start with some of your clothes. They're in the brown sports bag inside the bedroom."

"Thanks," Sasha replied curtly, carrying Max to the bedroom.

"We'll help pack," Bayley announced, as she and Seth followed.

Sasha was right—there wasn't much to pack except for some clothes, her entire Harry Potter collection plus a few random books, picture frames of her posing with various Superstars from when she was just a fan, a case that had all the tickets of the live wrestling shows she watched, and a small makeup kit.

"Are we done here?" Seth asked, sliding Sasha's bags on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Sasha nodded, walking out of the bedroom. "We can go."

"Come on, Max," Sasha clapped her hands as the dog followed her, jumping into her arms. "Let's get out of here."

"Woah, woah," Jeff stopped them, eyes on Max as they were walking out of his apartment. "What are you doing?"

"Um, leaving? Max is my dog, Jeff," Sasha pointed out, giving Max a possessive hug.

"Yeah, I get that, but he's stayed with me for the last two years. This is his home," Jeff replied. "Besides, who will take care of him while you're on the road? He's not used to that."

"But," Sasha looked down at Max, tears filling up her eyes. "He's mine," she croaked out.

"Sasha. You know this is what's best for Max."

Sasha didn't even bother holding her tears back, because she knew Jeff had a point. Seth looked in between them, before deciding to interfere. "Come on, man. If she says it's her dog, it's her dog. We're taking him."

"Don't get involved here, Rollins," Jeff's voice was sharp. "Just stay back. And don't think for a second I don't know what game you're playing."

"Oh, wow. Funny, because last I heard you were the one who fucking cheated on your wife."

"Like you know any different!"

Seth was about to pounce, but Bayley yelled, "That's enough!" she held Seth back. "That's enough, Seth. Just let it go."

Seth was still fuming, but he looked over to Sasha, who was still hugging Max and was whispering in his ear. "You're a good dog, Max. You've always been a good dog."

Looking up at Jeff, she nodded. "You're right. Makes more sense for him to stay here with you."

Kissing the little Pug on the top of his head, Sasha walked over to Jeff and handed Max to him. "Be good to him."

And with that, they walked out of the apartment; Sasha bawling her eyes out once the door was closed.

...

The following night at Raw, Sasha fought back the tears as she raised the WWE Women's Championship up in the air. Her match with Charlotte was exhausting and full of action, but she had to admit that it felt good to be holding the belt again. Her hard work was paying off.

When she returned backstage, Seth was the first one to greet her with a smile. "Congrats, Champ," he gave her a light hug. "You really make that thing look good," he nodded at her belt.

"Thanks," she smiled back, walking with him to her locker room.

They walked passed TJ Perkins, who nodded at Sasha and smiled. "Congratulations, Sasha. That was an awesome match."

Sasha lit up and grinned way too big for Seth's liking. "Thanks, TJ! Good job out there, too," she said. "By the way, I saw your Instagram post with Bayley—I thought I was your better friend?! What happened to me being the Filipina Princess?"

TJ laughed nervously and backed away slowly to tease Sasha. "Please don't hurt me," he raised his hands up, making her laugh.

"It's good seeing you," she said, giving him a hug. "Really glad seeing you up here."

TJ smiled. "You, too."

…

Seth adjusted his seat belt before making the short drive to their hotel. It was a little after Raw had ended, and most of the people were going out to celebrate. They were in Los Angeles after all. Sasha didn't want to take part in any of it despite her epic match with Charlotte and winning the title—she just wanted to head back to her room and sleep. "Want to grab anything to eat?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I'm not really hungry."

"Alright," Seth drove silently. She was still upset from the previous day, but tried hiding it every time there were people around.

When they got to her room, Seth waited around a bit. He really didn't want to be leaving her alone. To his surprise, she asked him to stay. "Um, is it okay if you wait until I fall asleep again? I don't really want to be alone. It depresses me."

"Sure," Seth shrugged, taking a seat on the couch.

"Cool, I'll just, um. I'll just go take a bath. Will you wait here?"

"Let me head to my room real quick for a shower, then come back here. That cool?"

"Okay," Sasha nodded. "You can get the extra key on the table," she said, before entering the bathroom.

Seth made a mad dash towards his room to take a quick shower and dress in more comfortable shorts and a Viper shirt. On his way back to Sasha's room, he bumped into Xavier Woods. "Hey, Madden Champ!" he greeted, giving him a high five. "Want to come with us? We're all headed to the hotel bar for a few drinks."

"I'll pass, man," he said. "I'm still kind of tired, and my ribs hurt," he lied.

"Alright, man," Xavier watched as Seth walked towards Sasha's room. "Wait a minute, are you on this floor? I thought you were on the 7th?" he asked just as Seth slid the key card in.

"Um, no I'm here on the 9th," he said, not wanting to start any suspicions.

Xavier shrugged and let it go. "Okay, I'll see you, dude."

"See ya," Seth nodded his head before quickly entering.

Sasha was still in the bathroom when he got inside, so he took a seat on the couch and looked through the TV shows available before settling on a re-run of MasterChef. When Sasha emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing her favorite Sailor Moon boxers and a matching Sailor Moon shirt. Her hair was wrapped in a fluffy white towel, as she smiled at Seth and sat down beside him.

"Cute shirt," he commented with a smirk.

They watched a few more shows together before Sasha yawned, making her way over to the bed. She laid down and watched as Seth watched her, before lightly patting the spot beside her. Seth took the invitation, lying down on his side.

"What's up?" he asked. "Talk to me."

"Nothing. It's just been a rough week," she said.

"But you're Champ now," he grinned.

"Damn right, I'm Champ now," they both laughed.

"What's the deal with you, Bayley, and TJ Perkins? You guys fighting over him, too?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Why, are you jealous?" Sasha teased.

"Please," Seth scoffed. "The Man doesn't get jealous."

Sasha giggled. "Bayley and I had the biggest happy crush on him," she confessed. "Well, I think she still does, but not as much as her crush on Finn."

"Ha-ha!" Seth laughed, finally finding something to tease Bayley with. "What about you?"

"He's cute," Sasha said. "We hung out a few times, and he's pretty awesome."

"More awesome than me?"

"Seth, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Psh," he waved it off.

"Oh my god, you are!" Sasha laughed, suddenly blushing. "Aw, Sethie. You'll always be mine and Bayley's bestie," she playfully pinched his cheek.

"Gah," he waved her off. "Go to sleep, Banks."

When Sasha calmed down from going on a pinching spree with Seth attempting to block her every move, she got his hand and held on to it. "Hey," she said. "I never really got the chance to thank you, you know," she said in all seriousness.

"Don't mention it," Seth told her. Scooting a little closer, he could inhale the scent of her shampoo.

She smiled at him, and for a while, neither of them said anything. Suddenly, Seth leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest, Sash."

"Don't go anywhere," she said softly, closing her eyes.

"I'm staying right here."

…

We're getting somewhere, finally! Please do leave a review! It warms my heart and fuels the fire burning for Sesha Ballins. Haha. Thanks, guys!


	7. Chapter 7

It took a while to find the CrossFit center Seth was looking for in Santiago, Chile. The driver took a few turns here and there, stopping once in a while to ask for directions. Beside him at the back of the vehicle, Sasha sat in her gym clothes, catching as many Pokemons as she could—she loved playing it whenever they were in a new city.

Sometimes, whenever she did come across one and would attempt to catch it, Seth would block her view or tap on her phone playfully. "Cut it out!" she would say, swatting his hand away with a huff, to which Seth would reply with his infamous cackle. "Ha-ha-ha!"

They'd been hanging out nearly every day, except when they each had different promos to do. On the rare occasions that Sasha didn't share a room with Bayley or Charlotte, Seth would stay in her room until the wee hours of the morning (sometimes, he would even fall asleep beside her), where they talked endlessly about anything and everything. It was in these moments that they realized how like-minded they were. They talked, fought, bickered, and challenged one another, which Seth found extremely addicting.

Twice, Roman had asked what was going on between them and Seth shrugged. "We're just friends."

"Just friends?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "Brother, nobody hangs out with a girl that much only to call it friendship."

"Sasha and I make it possible," he countered. "We just genuinely enjoy each other's company. It's no big deal."

"Are you—"

"Am I what?" Seth beat him to it. "Look, it's not that complicated. We're friends. We travel together. We hang out. We eat breakfast—a lot. We also talk—a lot. That's it."

"I don't know. It's just a little weird for me to see you so…open with somebody. I mean, you, Dean and I are close but this thing with Sasha—it's on another level. I've never even seen you like this with—"

"I get it, Roman," Seth stopped him. "Look, I appreciate you looking out for me. You and Dean always have. But I'm happy where I am right now, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Sasha…she's—she's different. And I don't want to screw something that's working fine in the first place, so just—just try to understand it, alright?"

Roman shrugged, clapping Seth's shoulder, "Alright, brother. If you say so."

…

Sasha winced in pain as she half-walked, half-limped to the backstage area after her match against Charlotte two weeks later. Towards the end of the match, she attempted a Suicide Dive, but landed awkwardly outside the ring, hitting her lower back—which sent electric shocks up her spine. She managed to finish the match with a Frogsplash and pin Charlotte for the 3.

A medic attended to her as soon as she reached backstage, placing an ice pack on her lower back and letting her sit on one of the carts. Charlotte checked in on her and kept apologizing, but she gave the tall blonde a genuine smile and assured her she was going to be fine.

Soon after, Seth came jogging from one of the corridors, eyes landing on her immediately. "What happened?" he asked, taking a seat beside her and offering to hold the ice pack.

"I don't know—the landing was a little off," she replied, stretching to see the extent of the pain.

"Sasha," Hunter approached them from his office, cellphone in hand. "I just got off the phone with Dr. Nolan—we're having your back checked tonight, so go pack your bags. You leave in an hour."

"Hunter, I'm fine—it's just a little strained," she assured.

"I'm not taking any chances," Hunter told her. "I'd rather you do all the tests tonight so Dr. Nolan can get you cleared. This is the second time it's happened, and I can't afford you gone for the next few weeks."

"Alright," Sasha said in defeat, hopping off the cart. "I'll go."

"Hey Hunter, I mean if I can, I could come with her?" Seth offered, guiding Sasha.

"Huh," Hunter smirked. "So you guys really are a thing now huh."

"What?!"

"No!"

"Absolutely not."

Hunter chuckled and clapped both their shoulders, leaning close. "Look, I don't care if it's true or not. If it's not, fine. But if it is, I'm happy for both of you—just make sure it doesn't mess things around here, got it?"

"There's nothing going on," Sasha answered a little apprehensively, glancing at Seth. "Right?"

"I don't even know where that came from, man," Seth shook his head at Hunter and tried to hide the smile creeping up.

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face, Rollins," Hunter playfully punched him in the gut. "I think you're forgetting who you're talking to. These walls have ears," he gestured around. "Besides, are you really surprised with that assumption? You guys are practically inseparable." he laughed, before walking off. "Don't go breaking each other's hearts!" he called out.

Seth made a face at him while Sasha stuck her tongue out. "My god, we're like his children," Sasha snickered, letting Seth guide her to the locker room so she could get her stuff.

"Sister, are you okay?" Bayley had come from an UpUpDownDown shoot and heard about the news, so she hurriedly walked over to the women's locker room to help Sasha pack the rest of her things.

"Hunter just wants to make sure I'm cleared," Sasha assured, giving her a hug. "I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt as much anymore."

"Good. Okay," Bayley nodded, hugging her back. "FaceTime me, okay?"

Seth snickered and muttered, "Clingy," as Bayley jabbed his rib lightly. "Shut up, Rollins."

"I will, sister," Sasha smiled reassuringly at her, ignoring Seth, who took her bag and gave Bayley a salute.

"Bye, Bestie," he said, giving her a smug look. "Say hi to Finn for me."

"I HATE YOU, ROLLINS!" Bayley called out after them, making Seth laugh out loud.

…

"It's just a strain," Dr. Nolan informed Sasha with a smile. "Although I suggest resting it out for a few days," he continued. "You'll need to work more on your back muscles, as well as strengthen your core to prevent this from happening again."

"Thank you, Dr. Nolan," Sasha was relieved. At least it wasn't as serious as they all thought. After thanking him again for coming out to see her, they left the hospital.

"Okay, so when we hit the center again, I know what you need work on," Seth commented as he and Sasha made their way to the hotel. "Less leg work for you for now, so we can use the time to strengthen your back," he touched her lower back lightly, letting his hand linger a little longer.

By the time they got to the hotel, it was nearly 11pm. Sasha yawned, smiling at the receptionist as they checked in. "We'll get a deluxe room," she said, handing her credit card but Seth beat her to it. "Come on, Seth! Let me pay just this once. You pay for breakfast all the time," Sasha complained, forcing the receptionist to take her card instead and giving Seth's back.

Seth chuckled and let Sasha have her way—for now. "So we're sharing a room, huh?" he asked with a slight smirk, taking their bags and following her to the elevators.

"Yeah, why? What's the difference?" she said casually. "You always end up sleeping in my room anyway."

"Fair point," Seth shrugged.

Sasha took a shower first and came out of the bathroom in cotton shorts and a black tank top. When Seth finished his turn, emerging from the bathroom in boxers and a Black and Brave shirt, he found her already curled under the covers on the left side of the bed, snoozing peacefully with her body facing the right. He carefully slid in beside her, getting snug under the warmth of the comforter while facing her. His heart tugged a little, realizing this was the first time they agreed to share a room. It may not have been a big deal, but it was definitely something for him.

As he closed his eyes, he felt her turning around, her back now facing him, pink waves spread all over the bed. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her while breathing in her scent. She leaned into his arms further, enjoying the feeling of having someone hold her again.

"Seth?" Sasha whispered after a while.

"Hm?"

"You think Hunter was right?"

Wrapping one leg around her and nuzzling her neck, Seth replied, "Let's talk about it in the morning, baby."

...

Please don't forget to leave a review! Love hearing your thoughts, especially if you guys get as giddy as I do!


	8. Chapter 8

The tension was a little thick when Seth and Sasha woke up the next morning, still in the same position as the night before. Sasha was the first to wake up, realizing Seth was still clinging on to her—not that she had any complaints. If she had to be completely honest, last night was actually the best sleep she had in months and she enjoyed being in Seth's arms.

She felt him stir, so she closed her eyes again and pretended to sleep.

Seth slowly raised his head and glanced at Sasha, his arm still wrapped around her waist. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, before saying in a gruff voice, "Morning, Banks."

Carefully, Sasha opened one eye and turned to look at him. "Hi," she said.

"You hungry?" he asked, standing up and making his way over to the bathroom to wash his face. "I was thinking we can head out somewhere to eat."

"Seth," Sasha sat up, peeling the blanket off of her and sitting on the edge of the bed. The strap of her tank top fell slightly off her shoulder and Seth tried his best not to notice. "I think we need to talk about this."

Seth sighed, the butterflies kicking in, as he walked back to the bed and nodded. "I know."

He took a seat beside her, taking her hands in his. "Look, Sash," he started. "You have no idea how badly I want this," he gestured between the two of them. "I've had my eye on you since NXT, and not just because of your talent."

"But?" Sasha raised an eyebrow. Her heart was pounding. She didn't like where this conversation was heading.

"But," he took a deep breath. "You just got out of a divorce and people are still talking about the shit I did last year, so it might be best if we just...you know, stayed the way we were?"

"What?" Sasha's voice was sharp, a million thoughts and questions running through her head. "And what are we exactly? Friends?" she spat out. "Because friends don't cuddle and kiss each other like that, Seth."

"I know," Seth sighed. "Baby, I know," he made a move to brush her hair back but she avoided it.

"Don't call me that," Sasha snapped.

"I'm just trying to protect you, alright? I saw how you were a few months ago," he said. "And I don't want that happening again. If you're with me, people will talk and I'd rather they say shit about me, but not you."

"That is bullshit, Seth. You don't get to decide on that. I came out of it fine, in case you forgot."

Seth shook his head—this was not going according to how he thought it would. Sasha was being stubborn, and it made him antsy. "I don't want to mess up something that's already good in the first place, alright?" he raised his voice a little.

As soon as Seth said those words, he instantly regretted it. Sasha's face was a mix of hurt and confusion.

"So you were going to have me constantly wonder about us?" Sasha narrowed her eyes at him, tears beginning to form. Her voice cracked, and she hated that she was such a crier. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I could be returning the feelings, too?"

"I purposely stayed away from that, alright? From the moment we started hanging out, I wanted to play it safe with you. I wanted to make sure that you were okay first. I wanted you, but I knew it wasn't a good idea back then and that it still might not be a good idea now."

The words stung, and Sasha quickly wiped her tears away. Seth made a move to envelop her in his arms, but she wouldn't let him.

"I don't want it to be this way if this is all I'm getting," Sasha said.

"What does that mean?" Seth asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"It means we're done. Whatever this thing is. Whatever you want to call it," she said. "I can't do this whole no-label thing. If you don't want to man up and be with me, and if you'd rather be friends, that's fine. But I can't do _this_ anymore."

Standing up, she grabbed some clothes from her bag before making her way to the bathroom.

Seth groaned, lying back down on the bed and covering his face with his hands. What the hell just happened?

When Sasha emerged, eyes slightly red from crying, Seth quickly got up and tried wrapping his arms around her again to get her to calm down. "Sasha, please," he said. "Let me just take a quick shower and we can talk more over breakfast."

He half-hoped hearing the word 'breakfast' would put her in a slightly better mood but she purposely ignored him and continued to fix her things.

Seth sighed. "I'm not giving up on this, Sash," he told her, his face dead serious. Cupping her face in his hands to force her to look at him, he repeated, "I'm not letting you go just like that."

She looked away, not saying anything. She was this close to melting in his arms, but she fought the urge. Instead, she clenched her jaw. "I have to go, Seth," she whispered, turning away from him to grab her bag.

"Baby, come on," he blocked the path to the door.

"Stop calling me that!" Sasha glared at him and tried pushing past him. "You made it clear. I'm not your baby—I never was. So just," she pushed him again. "Can you just let me go, please? I need to sort things out on my own."

Seth stared at her for a few seconds—his eyes worried that he may have ruined something for good. "When you're ready to talk, I'll just be here," he said, watching dejectedly as she made her way out of the room.

...

"Dude, what the hell happened?" Bayley approached him a few days later. They were backstage at a house show as Seth adjusted his wrestling boots, getting ready for a tag team match with Sami Zayn.

"Um, we just got into a little fight. That's all," he answered.

"I don't think that was a little fight," Bayley took a seat beside him. "Sasha came knocking on my door bawling her eyes out."

"She did?" Seth felt horrible. "Ugh, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"What exactly happened?"

"We, uh, sort of cuddled that night."

When he said it, Bayley couldn't help but smirk. "Nothing happened, geez!" he defended.

"Alright, alright," Bayley laughed. "Then what?"

"Then we talked, and I told her I wanted us to happen so bad but that it might not be a good idea yet, then she got pissed, then I said maybe we could just continue being the way we were, and she said she didn't want anything to do with me if there weren't any labels."

"Man, you guys are complicated," Bayley laughed while shaking her head.

"You were the one who said we were better off as friends first," he accused.

"Hey, I was just looking out for Sasha at that time, okay? It's been months, and she's clearly over it. You should know that." Bayley pointed out. "I mean—you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to her since then."

"If she could just let me talk to her," Seth said in frustration. "I _want_ to make things right. I _need_ to make things right."

Bayley sighed. "I'll try to talk some sense into her but no promises, okay?" she said. "You know how stubborn she is."

Seth nodded, thanking Bayley for being on his side despite everything that's happened.

"Good luck with your match," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

...

Later that night, Seth found Sasha goofing around with New Day as they filmed a new episode for UpUpDownDown. It was an eating contest this time between Rusev and Big E on who could consume the most chicken wings. Entering the room, he gave everyone a quick nod.

"Madden Champ in the house!" Xavier said to the camera. "What's up, Champ?" Xavier clapped him on the back. "We're trying to determine here who can eat more wings—Rusev or Big E. You betting on anyone?"

"Ha, that's a tough one," Seth replied, making eye contact with Sasha.

Sasha forced a smile at him, as he took a seat beside Cesaro and watched the on-going battle.

After the eating contest, with Rusev winning by just half a wing, Sasha made a move to leave the room.

"Hey," Seth grabbed her wrist softly. "Can we talk?"

The rest of the group pretended to be deep in conversation.

"Not right now, Seth," Sasha said in defeat, walking out of the room to prevent everyone else from eavesdropping. "My match tonight was a little intense, and I'm exhausted."

"Please?" he followed her out. "I miss you," he said softly.

Sasha sighed. "Seth, please. I don't want to do this right now."

He nodded, letting it go for now. "Can't I at least give you a ride to the hotel?"

"Bayley and I are already hitching with TJ," she said, walking off. "Goodnight, Seth."

...

Seth sat alone at the hotel bar, finishing the last of his scotch.

"Care to do another round?" came a low voice from behind as Roman took the seat to his right.

Seth clapped his back and ordered another two from the bartender.

"Been hearing a lot of stories in the locker rooms," Roman started, taking a sip of his drink.

"Ha, why am I not surprised?" Seth drawled, swinging his drink in circular motions.

"Just checking in on you, man," Roman looked at him with concern. "We don't have to talk about it, but I figured you could use a friend."

"Thanks, Ro," Seth clapped his back. "I appreciate it."

They drank in silence, Roman casually bringing up random stories about his daughter, to which Seth was incredibly grateful for.

Halfway through his drink, Seth sighed. "I need to make things right, Ro."

"I don't doubt you," Roman told him. "I think Sasha can be pretty stubborn, but then again, so are you."

Seth chuckled, before shaking his head. "I just hope I'm not too late."

…

Please don't hate me for ending the chapter this way! Haha. Would love to hear your thoughts and feelings, so please do leave a review.


	9. Chapter 9

Raw was on fire right after it went live in Oracle Arena Oakland where Sasha Banks, Roman Reigns, Charlotte and Rusev did an amazing promo and an equally amazing mix tag match that couldn't help but get people fired up, while Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho ended the show with an intensity that got all of social media talking. With everyone buzzing over Hell in a Cell, almost the entire locker room found themselves celebrating at a nearby bar, a few blocks away from their hotel.

Seth and Roman weren't really the type to join those things, but Bayley tipped Seth that Sasha was going, and like a true friend, Roman decided to accompany him. They sat in their own booth drinking beer, together with Cesaro and Sami Zayn.

"Man, Hell in a Cell is going to be so wicked!" Sami exclaimed, eyes wild with excitement. "I mean, both of you guys for sure are going to be great, but I honestly cannot wait to see Charlotte and Sasha do their thing."

"They should be main event," Cesaro nodded. "They deserve it."

"Please," Seth scoffed. "I should be main event."

"If you say so, brother," Roman smirked, taking a swig of his beer.

"Super loved your match tonight, Roman," Sami nodded at the big guy. "My Instagram was so lit! Fans are trying to sail a new ship," he laughed, giving Roman a light nudge.

Upon hearing this, Seth tensed and Sami immediately realized his mistake. "Sorry," he bowed his head. "What I really meant was I'm all for Team Sesha," he clarified.

Seth glared while Roman laughed out loud, clapping Seth's back. "Brother, you are too obvious. Reel it in a bit."

"Geez, guys," Seth muttered and sneered, finishing the last of his beer before standing up to order another. "You guys still good?" he asked. Cesaro and Roman nodded, while Sami requested to order one more.

As Seth made his way over to the bar, a familiar flash of pink caught his eye at the other side of the room. It was Sasha Banks, seated beside TJ Perkins, drinking together with Charlotte and R-Truth.

Sensing his gaze, Sasha looked up at Seth, who nodded at her. She gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to her group.

When Seth returned to his table, he had a small scowl on his face that Roman knew all too well. "Let me guess. Sasha?"

"Other side of the room with Charlotte, R-Truth and the new kid, TJ Perkins."

"I love TJ!" Sami said with a wide smile. "Such a cool dude, that one."

Seth made another face, and Roman nudged him. "Keep it cool, man," he chastised. "You don't want to start any issues with anyone around here, unless you want Hunter breathing down your neck."

"I'm just a little frustrated," Seth scratched the back of his ear. "She's been hanging out with him a lot."

"I didn't think you were the jealous type, Seth," Cesaro smirked.

"I'm not," Seth furrowed his brows, staring at his beer. "I mean, I used to not be?" He wasn't sure anymore. "Can we talk about something else?!"

Switching topics, the group focused on Hell in a Cell again, talking about how much they would all need to prepare for the event. It would definitely entail a lot of meetings with their opponents, planning and perfecting spots to make sure their matches were flawless. Seth always loved working with Kevin Owens, and he was confident they could pull off a match that was one for the books. He was excited for Sasha and Charlotte, too—though part of him couldn't help but worry a little. He knew Sasha was just as passionate as him, and was willing to do whatever it took to put on a spectacular show—even if it meant putting her body on the line and pushing herself beyond her limits. Maybe if she let him come around, he could train with her and give her a few tips and techniques.

"Hey guys," Charlotte suddenly approached their table with a grin. "We're doing shots. Come join us."

She pulled Roman and Cesaro's arms, forcing them to get up. As their group joined the others, now with New Day, Sheamus, Rusev and Lana, Seth took the seat closest to Sasha as possible, which was diagonally across her and TJ. Her eyes were slightly glazed, and he could tell she was getting tipsy.

"Shoooooots!" Xavier Woods exclaimed, distributing tequila from the bartender's tray. "Cheers to The Boss and The Queen for making history together!" he raised his shot glass, as everyone cheered and toasted. "Hell in a Cell, baby!"

Seth watched as Sasha downed her glass, grimacing in the process. She really wasn't a tequila person, preferring wine or beer over hard liquor.

"Tequila makes me fall asleep," she once told him. "Plus I hate the taste."

Once in a while, he couldn't help but study her interactions with TJ—they were friendly, but nothing that got him riled up. It was then that he realized TJ really was a good guy, talking to everyone in the group, including him. "Dude, I love your new merch," he said, referring to the Seth Freakin Rollins t-shirt. "I'm definitely getting one for myself."

Seth smirked. "Thanks, man. Let me know when you do. I'll even sign it for you," he replied while staying in character.

TJ laughed. "That was the plan, actually."

After finishing two bottles, the group was still rowdy but Seth watched as Sasha was gradually falling asleep, her head resting on her hand. He leaned forward to get closer. "Sash," he called out. "Sasha," he repeated.

She jolted a bit, blinking rapidly before looking at him.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the hotel," he said, making a move to get up.

He expected her to resist or be stubborn about it, but to his surprise, she nodded. "Okay."

After a few protests from some of the Superstars that it was still early, the two of them walked back to the hotel side by side. Sasha stumbled a little, finding it difficult to put her right foot in front of her left in a straight line. Seth chuckled. "Easy," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her all the way.

When they got to her hotel room, Seth waited as Sasha changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. "Thanks for walking me back," she said, eyes closed as she laid down on the bed and made a deep sigh.

"You alright?" he asked.

She didn't reply. He wasn't sure how drunk she was, but he sat back down on the couch and exhaled. Sitting in silence, he watched her snooze lightly, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. When he was convinced she was deep in her sleep, he made a move to leave.

"Don't go," she said softly, eyes still closed. "Stay."

He stopped, thinking about what would happen in the morning when both of them were wide awake and sober. Part of him thought it might not be a good idea, but the bigger part of him wanted this bad.

Slowly, he climbed in bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you," he whispered into her ear, breathing in her scent. "Can we please be okay already?"

Sasha was silent for a while, feeling Seth's heart pound into her back. "Just hold me," she told him, burying her head into the pillows.

Seth didn't complain. Things felt even more complicated than before, but at least for tonight, Sasha was in his arms and that was all he could really ask for.

He held her tightly and kissed the side of her neck. "Night, Sash."

...

Reviews, please! Hihihi.


	10. Chapter 10

Seth woke up to his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and checked the time, which read 6:56am. "Yeah?" he answered in a raspy voice, rubbing his eyes.

"Brother, where the heck are you? I got back from the bar last night and you weren't in the room." It was Roman.

"I'm here at Sasha's room," he answered quietly, voice still hoarse while glancing to check on her sleeping form.

"Oh," Roman commented. Seth could feel his smirk on the other line. "In that case, I'll drop the call now."

Seth chuckled, slowly getting up to wash his face and freshen up. When he returned, Sasha was still deep in her sleep, so he took advantage of the situation and climbed in bed again. As Seth relaxed, he felt her turn around, one arm draping over him. He smiled to himself, brushing her hair back as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, before going back to sleep.

A couple of hours later, Sasha woke up with her arms wrapped around Seth and his arms wrapped around her. She jolted awake, but the movement caused the entire room to stir.

"Woah," Seth woke up. "Are you alright?"

Sasha groaned, lying back down. "I feel like crap," she said, placing a hand against her head.

"Got any Advil?" he asked her, standing up.

"Not right now," she groaned again. Everything was just spinning at this point.

"I'll be right back," he told her, kissing her forehead again before running out of the room. He was enjoying this too much.

Twenty minutes later, he returned freshly-showered in jogging pants and a black shirt with a bottle of Advil in his hands. "Here," he handed her two pills and a glass of water.

Sasha slowly sat up and drank everything in one gulp before lying down again. Seth touched her forehead to check on her temperature. "Shit. I think you're burning up a bit, Sash."

"I know," Sasha sighed, closing her eyes. "Ugh, this can't be happening. I'm supposed to start training for Hell in a Cell today."

Seth fixed the covers of the bed and placed both the blanket and comforter over her. "Just get some rest," he told her.

Sasha fell asleep again, head still throbbing as she grimaced once in a while. Seth watched the TV on mute, making sure her sleep wasn't disturbed. When the covers weren't enough to keep her warm and she started shivering, Seth climbed under them and held her in his arms, rubbing her back gently once in a while. He could definitely get used to doing this.

Hours passed and Seth woke up to a grumbling stomach. He checked the time again only to find that it was already noon. Getting up to call room service, he ordered enough food for both of them. After their many breakfast dates, he practically memorized what her favorites were.

As soon as the food arrived, Seth gently woke her. "Sash, you need to eat," he said. "I got you an angus cheeseburger with fries. Plus you need to hydrate."

She didn't budge, so he tried again. "Sasha," he said. "Boss," he called out. "Baby, you've got to get up and eat."

"Ughhh, I told you. Stop calling me that!" she groaned against the pillow before getting up. Her headache was slightly better, but she still felt like crap.

Seth sighed. "Let's just eat."

They ate in silence—Sasha purposely avoiding Seth's gaze. His eyes had always been very intense and expressive, and she suddenly felt super conscious.

When Seth was done eating, he leaned back against his seat and continued watching her. "So we're still not okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, okay?"

"Just tell me what to do to make things right. Do you want the label? Is that what you want? Because baby, if that's all it's going to take, you got it."

"Don't think you can get it that easy, Seth," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then what?! What do I need to do?" Seth was getting frustrated.

"I'd like to see you try and work for it," Sasha finished with a slight smirk.

Seth leaned forward and smirked back. "Oh, is that a challenge, Banks? Are you seriously doubting that I can't do it?"

Sasha shrugged. "Depends. Can you outplay TJ?"

Upon hearing this, Seth tightened his jaw. "I can outplay anyone, anytime," he said in a low tone.

"We'll see about that," Sasha smiled, taking a fry and putting it in her mouth.

"This isn't a game, Banks," Seth raised his voice a little. "You don't get to play me like that."

Sasha suddenly felt bad upon hearing his words. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just kidding about TJ."

"Were you?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "Because it's pretty obvious you've got a crush on the guy."

Sasha's cheeks reddened. "It's not like that, okay?" She bit her lower lip and sighed. "I might have said that to make you jealous before."

"Well, it fucking worked. Are you happy?" he sneered.

"Ughhh," Sasha stood up from her seat. "Can we not do this right now?"

Seth watched as she carefully walked towards the bathroom, using the walls to guide her. When she closed the door, Seth shook his head. Sasha Banks was definitely one of the most stubborn human beings on the planet.

When she finished taking a quick shower, Seth was surprised to find her in her gym clothes—a dark grey tank top over a black sports bra paired with light grey leggings.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm supposed to meet with Ashley Corner to start my training for Hell in a Cell," she walked over to her gym bag, stumbling a bit.

"Like hell you are," he stood up and walked towards her, eyebrows furrowed.

"I only have two weeks, and it's probably the biggest match of my life. I can't screw it up. I need to be in top shape!"

"Sash, you've got a fever and a headache that's close to getting you to puke," he pointed out. "You're not going anywhere until I say it's okay."

"So what? You're going to stand guard and stay here all day?"

Seth gave her a smug look. "Does it look like I don't want to?"

"Ugh," Sasha gave up, leaving her gym bag and lying back down on the bed. "Whatever."

"Look, if you want," Seth took a seat at the corner. "I can help train you. Roman and I are planning to do our own training sessions just to get us ready for our matches. You're welcome to join us."

Sasha thought about it. It seemed like a really good idea. Both Seth and Roman had experience inside Hell in a Cell, and she could definitely use as many tips, tricks, and techniques from both Superstars. "Fine," she agreed. "I'll go."

Seth grinned before jumping in bed beside her. "Hey!" she called out. "Don't get too comfortable!"

"Ha-ha-ha!" Seth laughed, moving in closer. "You know you can't resist me, Banks."

Sasha rolled her eyes and fought the urge to smile. Seth knew it, and decided to push the opportunity a little more. Sticking his hand out for her to hold, he waited until she gave in—their fingers interlocking, as Seth switched on the TV and settled on a rerun of American Ninja Warrior.

Sasha eventually leaned against Seth, her head resting on his shoulder. "What did I tell ya?" he said, glancing down and breathing in the scent of her pink hair, which smelled a bit like strawberries. "Told ya it'd be better if we just went back to normal."

"Don't push it, Seth."

Seth sighed. "Fine," he rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. "But if you want me to work for it, I'm _really_ going to fucking work for it."

Sasha looked up at him and gave a half smile. Seth smiled back and for a moment, they stared at each other before Seth leaned in—his eyes fixed on the plumpness of her lips. Sasha waited, lifting her head slightly. Just as their lips nearly touched, Sasha realized what was happening and sat up.

"I, uh," she froze a bit. "I have to go pee," she finished, quickly making her way to the bathroom.

Seth laughed to himself and leaned against the headboard. "Geez, you really are making me work for it, Banks!" he yelled.

Inside the bathroom, Sasha blushed furiously and couldn't help but smile.

...

Weeee! More fluffy moments! Please don't forget to leave a review!


	11. Chapter 11

Seth, Sasha and Roman sat around a small TV at a local training center in Chicago while seated on foldable chairs, studying previous Hell in a Cell matches to see how they could up their game and make theirs as historical as possible. Sasha, without a doubt, was well on her way—being the first woman to do it, together with Charlotte.

It made Sasha a little nervous, as she unknowingly started nibbling on her lower lip. Seth noticed, and placed an arm on the back of her chair.

"Okay, so the first thing we need to work on is your stamina," he pointed out. "There's going to be a lot of high-intensity spots that's going to require a shit load of energy, so you'll need a mix of cardio and heavy lifting. We'll do a lot of long simulation matches, too."

Sasha nodded, eyes glued to the screen as she watched Mankind jump from the top of the cell and land on the Undertaker.

"What's this?" Kevin Owens approached them, taking a foldable chair that was stacked against a wall and placing it beside Roman. "You guys studying?"

"Yeah, mostly to help out Banks," Seth replied, placing a hand on the back of her head.

Sasha made a face at him before grabbing the remote and rewinding to the part where Mick Foley jumped off of the cell. "How do you pull that off?" she asked.

All three men looked at each other before Roman asked, "You're serious?"

"Yeah, why?" Sasha furrowed her brows a little.

"Um, that's a high-impact move. Are you sure your body can take it?" Kevin asked, his protective father instinct coming out. "I'm sure you and Charlotte can keep the match interesting without having to climb the top of that thing."

Seth and Roman seemed to have agreed, and that pissed off Sasha, her bratty side coming out. "I thought you guys were helping me!"

"Sash," Seth started, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Come on, don't be like that."

"No, you promised you were going to help me!" she told Seth, pulling her hand away. "You know I'm still going to try and do it, even with you patronizing me."

"It's not like that, Sash," Seth tried to explain, anxiously making eye contact with Kevin and Roman.

"No," Sasha said firmly. "Ever since we started this whole women's revolution thing, a lot of guys in the back have been making fun of us for it, like it's not possible to be head on head—like we're just one big joke."

Roman frowned. "That's not true, baby girl," he said.

"No. It is. I've seen it," she continued. "Maybe you three may give us the same respect, but not everyone," Sasha was beginning to lose it—her eyes filling with tears as she fought the urge to cry in front of them. Her nerves were getting the better of her, making her more panicky and emotional than usual.

"Hey," Seth pulled her in for a hug. "Just calm down. Calm down, alright?" he kissed her temple. "You're just nervous about the match, but you'll be fine," he commented.

Kevin and Roman watched them with amusement. Seth rolled his eyes at them before continuing to comfort Sasha. "Relax. I said I was going to help you, and I will. Now go change and we can start with a few in-ring moves. We'll do the turnbuckles first, then we can work our way up."

Sasha nodded quietly, muttering a "Sorry," to Kevin and Roman for having a mini meltdown before walking away to change.

"Wow," Kevin smirked at Seth. "That was...interesting."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up," Seth scowled, making Roman and Kevin laugh.

…

"You alright?" Seth asked after they had finished with training. Seated at a nearby Starbucks, Sasha sipped on her drink and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, suddenly feeling bad that she had snapped at the three men earlier. "I didn't mean to say those things," she pouted.

"Don't worry about it," Seth chuckled. "You were having a meltdown. It happens to the best of us," he shrugged. "The night before Wrestlemania 31, Roman, Dean and I were driving to the hotel and Roman spaced out—he nearly crashed the car against a post," he laughed at the memory. "That's top secret, by the way. We made sure management never found out, so you're sworn to secrecy, Banks."

Sasha laughed and drew an invisible cross against her heart. "You can trust me," she told him. "But why though? Were you guys drinking?"

"That's the thing—we weren't. We just came from dinner, and Roman was talking about how anxious he was for his match, then boom. Car went up the sidewalk and we were inches away from hitting a lamp post. Dean and I were laughing at him the whole ride back to the hotel."

"You guys are terrible friends," Sasha giggled and shook her head. "I should go apologize when I see him and Kevin."

Seth smiled, and reached out to take her hand. "You're cute when you're having a meltdown."

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes at him, a small smile creeping up her face.

"Hey, you doing anything tonight?"

"No, not really. Was just thinking of staying at the hotel and watching a movie. I fly to Edmonton tomorrow morning. Why?"

"Was going to invite you to a concert—it's nothing fancy though. One of my favorite bands is in town."

"Oh yeah?" Sasha perked up at the idea of Seth inviting her to something. "Who?"

"Nah, I don't think you'll know them—Park Way Drive?" he chuckled.

"I can go," she said, flipping her hair to the side.

"Ha, you would?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Cool, I'll pick you up at 6. We can have dinner before we head to House of Blues."

…

Sasha Banks looked and felt incredibly out of place in the mosh pit of a rock concert—a sea of fans banging their heads to the loud music, including Seth. Beside her, a young woman who was celebrating her birthday took a video of them, amused to find two of her favorite Superstars in the same concert.

Glancing at Seth, she pinched his arm for fun, laughing as he brushed his sweaty hair out of his face. "You okay?" he yelled through the loud music. "We can just finish this last song," he leaned in close so she could hear, placing an arm around her waist.

"No, it's cool. I'm good!" she answered, hooking her arm around his when she felt that the crowd was getting a little rowdier. He seemed to be enjoying the music so much—getting lost in the loud beat and lyrics that she didn't want to take away this moment from him. Even if she had an early flight the next day.

They left a little past 1am with Sasha incredibly entertained at the culture of rock shows. "Thanks for coming with me tonight. I know it isn't really your thing," Seth smiled at her as he drove the car he rented back to the hotel.

"It was actually pretty—fun," Sasha finished with a laugh.

"What time do you have to be at the airport?" he asked, realizing Sasha would get little to no sleep before leaving.

"Actually, I need to be there in two hours," she snickered, playing with the ends of her hair.

"Shit, sorry," Seth drove a little faster. "Let me drive you to the airport."

"You don't have to. A service will pick me up. It's no big deal. I can sleep on the plane," she assured him.

"Naw, it's cool. I'll drive for you."

Once they got to the hotel, Sasha took a quick shower and packed her suitcase before double checking the room to make sure she didn't leave anything. Taking the most comfortable hoodie jacket she had, which was Bayley's purple 'I'm A Hugger' hoodie, she smiled at Seth, who took her bags and brought them down to the car.

"Remind me to get you some of my merch. You're in desperate need for some."

"What makes you think I'll put you over?" Sasha teased him, sliding inside the passenger's seat.

"Um, because my merch is awesome?"

"I'll wear your merch if you wear mine," Sasha said with a grin.

Seth smirked. "What makes you think I don't already have some of your merch?"

"For real? Which ones do you have?"

"I have one of the Rob Schamberger Artwork ones, plus the Holiday sweatshirt," he flexed and gave her a smug look.

"Aw," Sasha wasn't expecting that at all. "That's actually really sweet."

Seth shrugged with both his hands up. "Team Boss, remember?"

She smiled at him, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

When they arrived at the airport, Seth helped her with her bags again and brought her inside. "So I'll see you at Denver?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there," she gave him a sheepish smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Seth put his hands inside the pockets of his pants. "Okay, so…"

"Thanks, Seth," Sasha leaned in and gave him a hug.

He hugged her back, letting her scent linger a little longer. When she pulled away, Seth smiled and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I'll miss you," he said.

"Don't get too clingy," she chastised him playfully. "I'll see you in four days."

Seth watched as she walked towards the boarding gate—his stomach in knots. "Sash!" he called out, jogging towards her.

"Yeah?" she turned her around.

He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips—Sasha didn't even have time to react. "Just uh—you take care, okay?"

She was a little dazed, but she smiled and nodded at him, her face a little disoriented. "Uh, yeah. You, too."

…

Another fluffy chapter! Hihi. Would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a review!


	12. Chapter 12

RAW had just finished airing in Denver, and the entire locker room buzzed as Goldberg made a huge appearance to end the show. It was one thing to hear that he was coming back—it was another to actually see him in the flesh, and most of the Superstars backstage who watched him wrestle as they were growing up couldn't help but be starstruck. Big E's face was definitely priceless as the camera caught his reaction.

Sasha didn't have a match that night as she only did a promo with Lita to talk about making history at Hell in a Cell, and she managed to steer clear of Seth the entire evening. Not that she was purposely avoiding him—she just wasn't a very confrontational person, and she didn't know what to say or how to act around him after his little stint at the airport a few days before.

After her interview, she headed to catering in the hopes of seeing Charlotte or maybe Bayley, but all she found were Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins himself having dinner. Seth immediately spotted her and made a gesture for her to come join them. She forced an awkward smile and nodded—feeling her heart pound against her chest as she took a plate, got food, and sat on the empty chair beside Seth. He was already showered and dressed in black jogging pants and a Nike shirt—his hair tied up in a messy man bun.

"Hey Sash," Roman smiled at her, as she greeted the four of them.

All of a sudden, they were eating in silence—Kevin, Sami and Roman sneaking side glances at Sasha and Seth, feeling the heavy tension in the air.

"So…you excited for Hell in a Cell?" Roman tried to start a conversation.

Sasha shrugged. "A little nervous, but it's all Charlotte and I can ever talk about," she giggled a little. "We're thinking of taking it to the top and making it a classic Foley vs. The Undertaker," she beamed.

Seth dropped his fork and nearly choked, while Kevin and Roman played it cool and decided not to say anything—remembering the last time they tried to stop her. Sami was about to make a comment, but Kevin made a move to step on his foot—a signal for him to keep quiet.

She looked at Seth, who took his glass and finished the rest of his water, refusing to make eye contact with her. "It's all talk for now," she said. "Charlotte and I are still discussing which spots to take and what antics to do."

Sensing Seth's uneasiness, Kevin decided to change the topic. "Did you guys hear about Daniel and Brie expecting?"

"It's all over Twitter," Sami replied. "I'm so excited for them. Think Cena and Nikki will catch up?"

"Ha," Seth answered. "Doubt it."

"I hope it's a girl," Sami said. "Bryan would so be wrapped around her little finger."

"That's what daughters do," Kevin pointed out with a smile, as Roman agreed and chuckled.

They talked a bit more—Seth stealing glances at Sasha, who got a little awkward every time she caught him. When Sasha finished her dinner, she stood up.

"I'll go ahead," she told the guys, taking her empty plate. "I'm done for the night anyway."

"You heading back to the hotel?" Seth asked.

"Um, yeah. It's Sailor Moon night," she blushed a little.

"How are you going?"

"Thinking of catching a ride with Charlotte."

"Don't. I'll take you. Come on," Seth stood up, making a move to get his own plate.

"Uh, you don't have to."

He gave her a look that meant he wasn't taking no for an answer. Sasha sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. Let me just change and get my stuff, okay? I'll meet you back here," she said, walking out of catering to head to the women's locker room.

"Did something happen between you two that I don't know about?" Roman finally asked when Sasha was gone, raising an eyebrow at Seth.

"No," Seth lied, shaking his head and taking a seat again.

"Dude, you guys weren't that stiff last time," Kevin pointed out. "She looked like she was ready to hide in a hole every time you looked at her."

Seth sighed. "Fine. I kissed her, alright? It was a spur of the moment thing, and I got caught up with my emotions, so yeah. We haven't talked since then."

Roman laughed out loud, clapping Seth's back. "When the hell did this happen?"

"After the concert last week," he said. "When I brought her to the airport."

"You going to make it official?" Kevin asked. He was always the blunt one in their group.

"I'm trying," Seth slumped and leaned back against his chair. "She says I need to work for it."

"Can't blame her," Roman spoke. "She's been through shit the last few months."

"Yeah, well. I need to show her that she can trust me," Seth sighed. "Despite my past, you know?"

"People change," Sami smiled at him reassuringly. "Plus I think you more than made up for that mistake. So just forget about it, man."

Kevin and Roman nodded in agreement. "Just show her she can rely on you, brother," Roman told him. "Because I think you guys are good for each other."

Sasha came back a few minutes later, all changed out of her sparkly blue dress. She sported a pair of jeans with a white tank top and an aqua sweater, her duffle bag slung on her shoulders. "You ready?"

Seth nodded and stood up, waving at the guys. "See ya."

"Bye, Love Birds!" Sami called out with a grin, earning a glare from Seth and a pained, uncomfortable look from Sasha.

…

The car ride was silent at first until Sasha spoke. "You told them?"

"Roman could see right through the two of us, alright? It's not like I wanted to."

Sasha sighed. She couldn't blame Seth. Though people waved it off and refused to ask her about them, a lot have started speculating that something was going on—especially after the video of them together at the concert went viral.

"So you want to talk or what?" Seth asked her. He pulled the car to a stop, waiting for her to say something. She was makeup-free in her glasses (it was Seth's favorite look to be honest), and she tried her best to look cool and collected though deep inside, her nerves were screaming.

"What do you want, Seth?" Sasha asked softly.

"You know where I stand, Sash," he spoke assertively. "It may have come across as unclear before, but I want to be with you. I do."

She bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath. Her heart fluttered a little as he took her hand. "Look," he said. "I know you want me to work a little harder, and I will. Alright? I'll do whatever it takes, but I need you to be upfront with me. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it. If you need more time, let me know. If you want me to pull back a bit, I will. But you have to talk to me, Sash. I don't want you avoiding me. I need to know what's going on in that head of yours."

"I wasn't avoiding you," Sasha made clear, sitting up a little. "I'm just…not so good with stuff like this, you know?"

Seth rolled his eyes playfully. "I know."

"Hey," she swatted his arm. "Let's just take things slow, okay? How about we go on a date first?"

Hearing those words made Seth smile. "We go on breakfast dates all the time," he smirked while raising an eyebrow.

Sasha hit him again. "Like an actual date. And no concerts this time."

He laughed and pulled her in for a hug. "Alright, alright. You want a date? You got it. I'll show you what it's like to be on a date with The Man."

…

Sorry for the delay with this update! Was so busy the past week, so I didn't have as much time to work on a new chapter. Anyway, I'll try my best to update again soon, but do leave reviews and let me know your thoughts! Any date suggestions for Sesha Ballins? :)


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who suggested date ideas for our OTP! I hope this chapter won't disappoint. Haha. To the Guest Reviewer who asked how many chapters this story is going to be, I honestly don't know yet because I'm just going with the flow of things and trying to prolong all the Sesha moments as much as possible. Haha! I've considered doing an AU, but maybe I'll save that for a one-shot in the future.

Anyway, we have finally come to their first (official) date! Enjoy, and please do leave your thoughts and reviews at the end! It helps me come up with ideas on how to progress with the story.

…

The next morning, Seth knocked eagerly on Sasha's room, dressed in jeans and an olive-colored Reebok shirt. A few seconds passed before she opened it, still in her Studio Ghibli pajamas with her hair in braids. "Seth?" she stifled a yawn, before checking the time. "What are you doing? It's only 7:20."

"Get dressed," he invited himself inside. "We're officially on our date."

"What?" Sasha blinked her eyes awake. "I thought we'd be having dinner or something?"

"I thought about that," Seth gave her a smug look and crossed his arms. "But I figured we'd have plenty of time to do the whole romantic candle-lit dinner thing—so we're not doing that tonight."

Sasha still looked confused, but the thought of Seth attempting to do something different got her all giddy. "So what are we doing?"

"Just get dressed," Seth took a seat on the couch and placed his head on his arms. "Wear something comfortable. Maybe put on one of your anime shirts, I don't know. But just dress up, pack your bags, and no more questions."

"Pack my bags? I don't understand." Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"I convinced Hunter to give us the next two days off. It wasn't easy, mind you. But I did it anyway," he finished with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me?" Sasha's jaw almost dropped. How Seth managed to pull that off was a remarkable skill, considering they were both crucial representatives of the RAW brand.

"How are you liking this date so far?"

"If I get two whole days off, this is probably the best date ever!" Sasha raised her arms in the air and squealed—it made Seth's heart jump a little.

When she finished with her shower and emerged wearing black leggings and a yellow Pikachu t-shirt, she quickly packed her bags, after which they had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant before Seth led the way to the rental car. "Where are we going?" Sasha asked him again excitedly.

"Sssh," Seth shushed her, glaring at her jokingly as he drove through the streets of Denver. Half an hour later and Seth pulled up at the Denver International Airport.

Sasha looked at him again curiously. "Seriously, Seth. What's going on? Where are you taking me?"

Seth only winked at her, as he took their bags from the trunk and led the way inside. Before Sasha knew it, they were on board a flight towards LAX. "I'm still confused," she shook her head once the plane took off.

Seth chuckled and offered a hand, waiting as Sasha took it and interlaced their fingers. "You'll find out soon enough. Just trust me, alright?"

About three hours in and they were suddenly headed towards Staples Center. "Oh my god, I know what's happening!" Sasha exclaimed as it finally dawned on her. "You're taking me to KCON!"

Seth laughed and nodded his head, finding Sasha's reaction too endearing as she looked like a kid who just wanted to jump up from her seat. "How did you get tickets?! When did you get tickets? How did you even know about KCON?! Did Bayley tell you? Wait, even Bayley wouldn't know about this. How did you—"

"Do you really have to ask?" Seth cut her off. "I'm Seth Freaking Rollins," he rolled his eyes and smiled at her.

Sasha squealed again, trying to contain her excitement. When they entered Staples Center with Sasha slightly dragging Seth inside, it was filled with panels, workshops, food trucks, booths, and activities all centered on Korean culture. It was Seth's turn to feel out of place, but seeing her reaction was priceless and he'd do this again and again just to witness the look on her face. "You know, I figured since you went with me to that concert, I owed you one."

"Yeah, but this is killing it. This is totally killing it," Sasha replied, eyes all over the place as she couldn't decide where to go first.

After a good solid five hours of visiting different booths, catching panels, and even lining up to take a photo with select members of EXO, who Sasha absolutely fan-girled over, Sasha took out her phone and snapped a photo with Seth.

"Best day everrrrr! #SeshaBallins" she wrote in the caption and tagged him on Instagram.

Seth laughed and did the same, placing an arm around her and sneering playfully at the camera while Sasha grinned and did her usual peace sign pose. "#SeshaBallins," he put in the caption complete with the rolling eye emoji, before uploading his own photo.

"That's definitely something for Cathy Kelley to talk about," he chuckled, placing an arm around Sasha's shoulders again as they exited the event.

"Thanks, Seth. This was by far the best date ever," Sasha smiled at him, her arm snaking around his waist.

"What are you talking about? It's only half past 7. This date is far from over," he smirked, leading the way to the car.

He drove them to a festive, Mexican spot called Pancho's Restaurant along Highland Avenue on Manhattan Beach, which served some of the best margaritas, tacos and burritos in LA. To Seth's delight, there were only two other guests, which created a more intimate ambiance amidst the fun, colorful setting.

"This place looks pretty awesome," Sasha commented, looking around to find vibrant paintings on the walls. They took a seat at the far end and ordered their food—Sasha couldn't help but glance at Seth, thinking about how natural and at ease they were with one another ever since that night she accidentally fell asleep in the women's locker room and Seth was still around to give her a ride. Except for the part where they had a little misunderstanding, everything about them just clicked, and that put a smile on Sasha's face.

"What's on your mind?" Seth prodded, taking a sip of his beer.

"Nothing," Sasha shook her head. "Just how—this," she gestured between the two of them, "makes sense."

"You mean us?" Seth teased. He loved putting her on the spot and making her blush.

She made a face at him, to which he did his infamous "Ha-ha-ha!"

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, giving him a shy smile.

Their food arrived shortly, as they began to eat. "Since we're doing this now, which I'm really glad we are, is there anything about Sasha Banks that I don't know yet?"

Sasha thought about it—that was actually a tough question considering how much Seth knew, from all the time they spent together on the road. "Well, I'm sure there are a lot of things that you still don't know…" she started.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I've got a good one," she grinned and sat up, blushing a little. "Ever wonder why I always need a ride to and from places?"

"Because you're a lazy ass?" he mocked, earning a slap on his shoulder.

"It's because I can't drive," she told him.

"What?!" Seth was a little mind-blown. How could he have not known this sooner? "You mean to tell me that you've never even driven an automatic?"

"Nope," Sasha shook her head. "Too scared."

"You know that it's a pretty crucial skill, right?"

"I never got around to learning!" she explained. "I mean, I bought my mom a car last year but it was never like I actually test drove it—she did."

Seth chuckled. "I'm teaching you how to drive a stick one of these days, Banks."

"It's really not necessary—"

"Uh, yes. Yes, it is."

"What about you? Tell me something I don't know yet."

"Hm," Seth tried to think. "Not sure how it can top yours, but I was a huge grammar nerd when I was in school."

"Try harder," Sasha challenged. "Because I knew that already."

"Okay. I played baseball for a week?"

"Knew that, too."

"Come on, Banks. Give me a break. We talk a lot—what else do you not know?"

"Name one thing you're afraid of."

"Fine," Seth sighed. "I have this weird fear of ferris wheels."

Sasha laughed. "That's adorable."

"It's really not."

She giggled, teasing him a bit more as Seth playfully scowled or rolled his eyes at each joke.

After dinner, Seth paid for the bill and drove them to a nearby hotel. "You good with sharing a room?" he asked her before checking in. Though it really wasn't a big deal anymore, it still meant a lot to Sasha that he asked.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal," she told him. "Unless you have plans of seducing me tonight," she joked.

"I might," Seth answered in a serious tone, earning another slap on his shoulder. "I'm kidding! Ha-ha-ha!"

They headed up the room, as Sasha called dibs on the shower first. "What are we doing tomorrow?" she asked, taking comfy shorts and a Girls' Generation shirt from her suitcase.

"I've got one more surprise before we head to Hammond for the live show."

"Geeez, just tell me what the surprise is!"

"Go take a shower before I beat you to the bathroom, Banks."

"Fine," she flipped her hair, entering the bathroom and shutting the door close.

When she finished, Seth took his turn and came out twenty minutes later in a Balor Club shirt and striped boxer shorts. His wet hair was tied in its usual man bun.

Sasha was already curled under the covers, glasses pressed to her face as she read through her Twitter feed. "Anything interesting on Twitter tonight?" he asked, pulling up the bed sheets and sliding in beside her.

"I think we're breaking the Internet," she giggled, showing him the outpour of tweets about the selfies they posted earlier.

"Team Bayley's probably pissed," he snickered.

"Please. Our ship sailed a long time ago—Team Bayley can go cry in a corner."

He laughed as he leaned a little closer, his forehead almost touching Sasha's. He could smell the addicting scent of her shampoo again, as he studied her features and felt both his heart and stomach twitch. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"Oh," she ducked her head a bit, blushing. "Thanks."

He grinned, tucking a strand away from her face. "Are you going to freak out if I kiss you?"

"What?" her heart started pounding. "Like right now?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd make up for the crappy one last time."

Her cheeks burned a crimson red as she stifled a laugh, moving her head even closer as they touched foreheads. Seth took this as a sign and pulled her in—placing his lips softly against hers before gradually making the kiss deeper.

Sasha sighed against him, placing her hand on his cheek, as Seth wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top. She stopped to look at him—his eyes dark and hungry, as she kissed him again, enjoying the feel of his tongue on her lips.

His hands slowly played with the hem of her shirt, making small moves to pull it up. "Seth," she breathed out, shaking her head.

He nodded and pulled her down again for another deep kiss. "Alright," he said, brushing his lips softly against hers one last time. "Let's go to sleep."

She smiled and climbed back down on his side, wrapping an arm around his waist as he placed his arms around her shoulders. "Goodnight, Sash."

She kissed his cheek and let her head rest on the crook of his neck. "Night, Seth. Thanks for today."


	14. Chapter 14

Seth's face was scrunched under the scorching heat of the sun as he sat on a yacht boat in the middle of the ocean—topless and wearing just a pair of board shorts. A few feet away from him, Sasha stood near the edge while taking an Instagram story, showing her followers where she was at while wearing a teal bikini.

"Watch yourself, Banks," Seth called out, shielding his face with one hand as he kept an eye on Sasha, barefoot and all, walk around the small boat with a huge grin on her face.

"Check it out, blah," she showed the camera, angling it so that Seth was seen in the background. "He's allergic to the sun," she giggled after saying it, covering her mouth to stifle her laugh.

"I am not," Seth said loud enough for the camera to hear. "Just not a huge saltwater person, that's all."

Sasha put her phone away and took a seat beside him. She loved the feel of the sun on her skin, and she wished they could stay there all day. "Then why did you bring us here?" she asked, fighting the smile creeping up. She absolutely loved the ocean—there was no denying it. There was something about the smell of Vitamin Sea, the humidity, and the sound of waves that calmed her and invigorated her at the same time.

"Because Bayley tipped me that you liked this, so—" he shrugged. "Are you having fun? I hope you're having fun."

"Seth," Sasha took his hand. "I've been itching to do this in forever, but I just never had the time," she smiled at him. "So thank you. Thank you for going out of your way to put all this together," she finished, suddenly leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh," he jumped a little. "Wasn't expecting that."

Sasha grinned and stood up again, watching the strong currents their boat made as it cruised through the waters. Moments later and the boat made a stop in an area that was clear enough to snorkel—Sasha eagerly put on a life vest with Seth helping her tighten it. "Come on, it will be fun," she said with a pout.

"I'll watch from the boat," he said, placing the goggles on her head.

"Fine," Sasha sighed, stepping on the edge and making a light splash as she jumped off. "Seeeth!" she yelled in a singsong voice, swimming a few feet away. "You're missing out!"

"Not too far, Banks!" Seth called out from the boat.

Sasha ignored him and continued swimming, watching a number of fishes go passed her. The area they were in was at least 30 feet deep, but the waters were clear enough that she could see the corals under.

"Hey, Seth!" Sasha hollered without turning around. "Can you take my picture? I want to post this on Instagram!"

When she didn't hear him reply, she spun and was surprised to find him in his own life vest already paddling towards her. "I said," he kicked against the water harder, "Not too far."

Sasha giggled and swam towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Sorry I couldn't take you anywhere else," he started, pulling her goggles away from her face. "I know this isn't Bora-Bora or anything, but I didn't have that much time or options."

"Seth, this is perfect. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Yeah?" Seth smiled, leaning in to give her a deep kiss.

…

RAW aired live in Minneapolis the following day, and Sasha as usual, was a ball of nerves in her white pantsuit from Intertwine Collection. They had just finished the contract signing earlier, with Mick Foley hyping it up further and putting even more pressure on the two women. People would undeniably be expecting an intense and career-changing fight between them.

"Hey," Seth walked up to her in his wrestling pants and a Seth Freaking Rollins shirt. "Great promo out there," he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You nervous?"

"A bit," she laughed a little. "Mick was a little intense."

"You'll be alright," Seth assured her, leading them to a production crate as they took a seat. "I'm pretty excited for later," he grinned, giving her a light nudge.

Sasha squealed and nodded her head. "Me, too! I'm so glad creative did this. Smackdown's storylines have been killing it for them—it's about time Raw stepped up."

After Brock Lesnar's appearance, the triple threat main event started as Seth entered first, followed by Chris Jericho, and lastly Kevin Owens. The match took place smoothly as they all did what they discussed, hitting spots here and there, before Seth got the crazy pin on both men.

The assault by Kevin and Chris started before Seth could even celebrate; leaving him sprawled right outside the ring. Kevin then slid back inside, grabbing a microphone. "See, I told you guys that this is the Kevin Owens Show! No one, not The Man, can cancel it and come Hell in a Cell, when I main event that thing, I will show you all that I am leaving Seth Rollins permanently scarred!"

To make a bold statement, Kevin continued his assault and was about to put Seth on a powerbomb against the ring's edge, but Rusev's entrance music played, leaving Kevin confused and wide-eyed. He entered the ring again with Chris Jericho, as they looked on bewildered albeit livid. "What the hell do you want?! What are you doing here?! This is my show!" Kevin kept yelling at the Bulgarian Brute, who was holding a microphone with a scowl on his face while making his way down.

"This is Rusev's ring!" he yelled once he entered, watching as Kevin seethed. "And at Hell in a Cell, I will be the main event! Not you, not the women. ME!"

Before the three men could even go at it, Charlotte's music played and she stepped out with a sneer. Instead of the black dress she was wearing earlier, she was in black tights and a black TapOut tank top. "Who in the hell do you all think you are?" she screamed into a microphone from the guerrilla. "Are you all too thick to understand that I am making history this Sunday by being the first woman to step inside that cell? You may all think you're worthy of a main event but at the end of the night, you will all be bowing down to the Queen!"

"Shut up, Black Swan! This doesn't involve you, so stay out of it!" Rusev replied.

"Hey!" Kevin called out, as Jericho cheered him on. "I am the Universal Champion! There's a reason I am on top. I am the best in this business, and they can all cut the crap on this triple main event—my match is obviously going to be last, which means, I. AM. THE. MAIN. EVENT."

"No! Rusev is the main event! Rusev!" the Bulgarian interrupted. "Rusev will make sure that Roman Reigns will not come out of it alive!"

And exactly on cue, Roman's music played and he came out with a stoic face. Despite boos coming from selected sections of the crowd, everyone else was going ballistic. He gave Charlotte a one-over before walking down the ramp to join the three men. "Look," he started. "I don't care whether we're the first match or the last," he told Rusev. "But I guarantee you that I will rip you apart. Piece. By. Piece."

"Alright, alright! Get out of my ring!" Kevin angrily stomped while shooing them away. "Obviously, you're all stupid idiots but this is my time and I run this show! I am the boss around here, and you are all nothing but worthless pieces of crap!"

Sasha's music suddenly hit and it got the entire arena up on their feet as she came out dressed in jeans and a Legit Boss tank top. "Did you just say you were the boss around here?" she asked Kevin Owens with an eyebrow raised, staying on the other side of the guerrilla as Charlotte scowled at her. "Clearly, someone's delusional."

"No!" Kevin shouted. "You're delusional! You're both delusional for thinking you can actually survive getting out of hell in a cell when we all know you're nothing but second-rate Superstars!" he said to both Charlotte and Sasha. The two women, with clenched jaws, made eye contact and rolled their eyes. Rusev seemed to find the statement funny as he laughed, earning a smirk from Kevin and Jericho.

"My god, I can't believe all six Superstars who will be competing inside Hell in a Cell this Sunday are all here," Michael Cole told Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

"It's insane," Corey replied, shaking his head.

Roman had had enough, as he sent a punch across Rusev's face. Jericho quickly slid outside of the ring as the brawl between Roman, Rusev, and Kevin started. Sasha and Charlotte looked at each other, nodded, and sauntered down the ramp. While Jericho's back was turned away from them, Sasha ran and hit him in the head with her title followed quickly by a drop kick from Charlotte who sent him flying against a corner, out cold.

By this time, Seth had regained strength and was inside the ring helping Roman, as it became a battle of fists, slams, and choke holds. When Rusev was gaining the upper hand against Roman, Charlotte grabbed his foot from outside the ring, giving Roman the perfect opportunity to give him a spear.

On the other side of the ring, Seth had thrown a number of punches against Kevin, who fell on the second rope, head facing outside the ring. Sasha took this chance and slapped him hard on the face, causing him to stumble backwards, as Seth positioned him for the pedigree.

As soon as Kevin hit the mat, Sasha climbed the turnbuckle and went for a Frogsplash, landing perfectly on top of Kevin as Seth helped her up and raised her fist in the air. Roman took her other hand as all three stood in the ring for a few seconds, arms raised as the crowd went crazy, before Charlotte slowly entered. Making eye contact with her once again, Sasha picked up her belt from where it fell before raising it up while Charlotte pointed at it. RAW ended with the entire arena and all of social media on fire.

…

Wooo! Finally got some ring time in there. Haha. How I wish RAW ended that way instead. Let me know your thoughts, and what Seth and Sasha should be doing next. I love reading your suggestions!


	15. Chapter 15

The next week entailed rigorous training for the RAW Superstars, as everyone prepared themselves physically, mentally and emotionally for Hell in a Cell—the last few days before a main event were always tough, because Superstars had to find the right balance between training as much as they can but not over-exerting themselves.

Hell in a Cell would be held in Boston, and Sasha tried to manage her family and friends, who kept asking if she had any tickets to spare because they all wanted to watch. Seth chuckled and liked the photo she posted on Instagram with a fan wearing his face while holding up a sign that read, "Do you have tickets for tonight?"

Two days after RAW's blockbuster episode in Minneapolis, Sasha dropped by a local wrestling school to train and strengthen her back, legs, and core. She did a series of box jumps, planks, pull-ups, and weight training and by the end of it all, she was exhausted. Taking her phone out of her gym bag, she dialed for Seth.

"Hey Sash," he answered. "You done?"

"Yeah, just finished here. You really don't mind picking me up?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there in 10 minutes? Just finished working up a sweat with Kevin."

He arrived just as he said he would and she was already waiting outside in colorful tights, a TapOut tank top and a dark grey cap.

"Hey," she greeted him, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for picking me up."

"How was your training?" he asked.

"Exhausting," she sighed. "I still have to meet Charlotte tomorrow so we can simulate a few moves. How was yours? You guys ready?"

"Meh," Seth shrugged. "I guess so. We'll probably meet up again sometime this week for one last go."

It was a little past 4pm when they arrived back at the hotel, and Seth invited Sasha over for coffee. "Hey, so Bayley decided to bail on me this weekend. She was supposed to come stay with me at my place," Sasha took a sip of her flat white.

"Uhuh," Seth raised an eyebrow and smirked, knowing where this conversation was headed.

"So…I was wondering if you wanted to stay with me instead of booking a hotel?" Sasha couldn't even make eye contact with him.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Seth smiled, giving her a wink. She was too cute when she tried to hide her shyness.

"Okay. One condition though—I need you to come with me to Jeff's place so I can visit Max."

Seth's jaw clenched a little when he heard Jeff's name. "Cool. I'm all for it," he replied. As long as the guy wasn't going to be a douche, he could be civil.

"Hey, guys," Bayley approached their table and took the empty seat beside Sasha.

"Hey, dude!" Sasha greeted and gave her a hug. "I was just telling Seth that you decided to ditch me this weekend," she teased.

"Thank you for ditching her," Seth interrupted. "Because I get to take your place."

Bayley laughed and gave them both a knowing look, to which Sasha playfully rolled her eyes. "Well, I might have a pretty good reason for ditching," Bayley grinned, her cheeks suddenly turning red.

Sasha's eyes widened, "Is this what I think this is?"

Bayley nodded eagerly and took Sasha's hands, squeezing them. "For real?!" Sasha exclaimed. Bayley nodded again, as both women squealed and hugged each other, not able to wipe the smiles off their faces.

"What the hell is happening?" Seth asked with a raised eyebrow, utterly clueless as he looked back and forth between Sasha and Bayley. He was also slightly impressed that neither of them had to say anything concrete, yet they completely understood the other—it was mind-blowing.

"Do I tell him?" Sasha whispered.

"No, don't tell him," Bayley whispered back, shaking her head.

"He kind of already knows."

"Yeah, but that'll give him more reason to poke fun."

"Guys, I'm right here," Seth rolled his eyes—both women giggled.

"Fine," Bayley made a face. "What the heck. I guess your almost-boyfriend is bound to find out anyway," she told Sasha.

"Almost-boyfriend?" Seth repeated, giving Sasha a smug look.

"That's still on the table for discussion," Sasha told Bayley while playfully narrowing her eyes at Seth.

"Right," Bayley laughed. "So do I tell him or will you?"

"You tell him! It's your date," Sasha laughed.

"Finn's going to be watching Hell in Cell this Sunday," Bayley started, the grin creeping back up. "And he asked me out."

Seth smirked. "Ha. Congratulations, Bestie. Though I'm not surprised, considering how you two were always so flirty in the ring. I think it's about time."

"That was for show," Bayley pointed out, referring to all the times her and Finn got playful during NXT events.

"You met his parents," Seth replied. "He freakin' tweeted a photo of that time you met them."

"That was also for fun. You know how Finn loves to troll."

"Dude's into you. Trust me," Seth chuckled, finishing the rest of his coffee.

…

Friday morning, Seth and Sasha flew to Boston and settled in Sasha's apartment. After leaving their things, they went out to eat breakfast before Sasha messaged Jeff that she was on her way to pick up Max.

When they got to his apartment, Jeff opened the door and nodded at them. There was a woman on the couch watching TV but Sasha ignored her. "Where's Max?"

"He's in the bedroom. I'll go get him," Jeff said, making his way to the room.

"No, I want to," Sasha beat him to it, pushing past Jeff as she walked down the hall to the main bedroom where the pug was still asleep.

Seth stood in silence in the living room, hands in his pockets as Jeff chuckled at him. "Been seeing a shit load of photos online. You guys are a thing now, huh?"

Seth raised an eyebrow. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, man," Jeff shrugged and was about to say something, but Sasha came back with Max in her arms and a doggie bag slung on her shoulder.

"I'll bring him back tomorrow night," Sasha told him, preparing to leave Jeff's place.

"Cool," Jeff replied. "Hey, you got extra tickets for Sunday?"

"Are you serious?" Sasha looked at him, bewildered.

"What?" Jeff laughed. "You're dating Rollins now. You seem happy. Shouldn't all be forgiven?"

"You cheated on me, Jeff!" Sasha raised her voice that Max got a little startled. "You were the reason our marriage got ruined in the first place."

"Please. You were always on the road. One of us was bound to cheat on the other," he took a quick glance at Seth. "Just so happened I beat you to it."

Sasha was stunned. Before she knew it, Seth's fist came flying and connected with Jeff's jaw. "Shit!" Jeff exclaimed, stumbling backwards. Seth was about to make another move, but Sasha stepped in and stopped him while the woman on the couch quickly stood up and held Jeff back.

"Fuck you!" Jeff cursed him. "Get the fuck out!"

Sasha cradled Max in her arms and quickly pushed Seth out the door, slamming it shut. When they entered the elevator, Seth had calmed down. "Are you alright?" Sasha asked him.

"I'm good. Are _you_ alright?" he asked her, taking Max's bag from her shoulder as they walked over to the car. "God, he's such a fucking douche."

Sasha was quiet as she watched Seth, his movements stiff as he drove them back to her apartment. "Surprisingly, I really don't care anymore," she finally told him, glancing as he held tightly on the steering wheel. "I'm done with him," she kissed the top of Max's head. "This little boy doesn't have to go back there anymore."

Seth smiled a little, patting Max's head. "Don't worry, we'll figure out the logistics."

"Out of curiosity, who does Kevin stay with?"

"My brother."

"Oh."

When they got to Sasha's apartment, Sasha placed Max on the ground and let him sniff his way around. Seth sighed and suddenly trapped Sasha against a wall, capturing her lips in a slow kiss.

She giggled after he pulled away. "What was that for?"

"Nothing," Seth smiled at her. "Just thought you should know you deserve better."

She wrapped her arms around him and inhaled his musky scent, feeling incredibly lucky at that moment.

"Hey, why don't you call your mom? I'd love to treat you guys to dinner tonight," he said.

Sasha laughed. "She doesn't know about this yet," she gestured between them. "You know, us."

"Perfect time to tell her, I guess?" he smirked.

"Oh yeah? Well, what am I supposed to tell her?" she teased.

"That I'm your almost-boyfriend," he winked.

...

The restaurant was awfully quiet as Sasha's mom eyed them both like they were teenagers. "So this has been happening?" she asked, looking at Sasha. She wasn't angry or disappointed—just genuinely curious and wished Sasha had told her sooner.

"Um, yeah. It's sort of—complicated?" she looked at Seth for help.

"Don't look at me," he told her. "I've been wanting to put a label on it ever since," he smirked.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, I wanted the label first but you rejected me."

"I did not reject you!" Seth furrowed his brows, earning a lighthearted laugh from Judith. "I just wanted to make sure she was ready to be in another relationship," he told Judith, rolling his eyes at Sasha as she started laughing.

"By the way, I got Max back," Sasha told her mom with a slight grin as they began eating their dinner. "Well, I was supposed to just borrow him for the weekend but things got ugly and I may have sort of walked out with him."

"What'd he do this time?" Judith pointedly asked.

"Never mind what he did," Sasha waved it off.

"Do you want Max to stay with me?"

"Don't be silly, Mom. You're allergic to Max," Sasha snickered. "He can come with me. I'll figure it out."

They continued eating their dinner with Sasha and Seth talking about the upcoming pay-per-view, and how nervous Sasha was for her match. "Please don't give me a heart attack, dear," Judith told her as Seth paid for the bill.

"I promise you it will be fine, mom," Sasha assured her, kissing her temple. "Charlotte's a pro to work with. It'll be epic."

After saying their goodbyes, they parted ways as Seth and Sasha headed back to her apartment. Sasha took a quick shower while Seth played with Max—throwing his chew toy around for him to fetch and bring back. When Sasha finished, wearing a tank top and cotton shorts, Seth took his turn and emerged a few minutes later in a Legit Boss shirt and boxers. "Cute shirt," Sasha commented with a smirk, while giving Max a belly rub.

"Yeah?" he smirked back and looked down, showing it off. "Figured it could get me at least a make out session tonight," he winked.

Sasha blushed, laughing it off, as she put Max down on his doggy bed and crawled under her own covers. Seth did the same, sliding in beside her and shutting off her bedside lamp. Save for the moonlight coming in from the window, the entire room was dim as Seth pulled Sasha close to him. She snuggled against him, resting her head against his chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"Hey Sasha," he said softly, gently running his hand up and down her arm.

"Hm?" she looked up at him.

"I'm not rushing to call you my girlfriend or anything," he started. "But I just want you to know that I care really deeply about you, alright? More than I want to admit," he rolled his eyes teasingly.

Sasha giggled and slapped his arm, before he unexpectedly pulled her in for a kiss. Sasha gasped at first, but returned it—her hands finding their way to his hair. Slowly, Seth climbed on top of her—his kisses getting more desperate as he nibbled on her neck before returning to her lips.

Sasha kissed back just as hungrily, wrapping her legs around his torso as his hands made their way to her tank top, slowly crawling up. Sasha grinned against his lips, guiding his hands before they suddenly heard a cry from below the bed.

"Ignore him," Sasha whispered, flipping Seth over as she straddled him, removing his shirt in one swift motion.

Seth was a little surprised, as he made a move to remove hers as well. Before he could even lift her top, Max jumped on the bed and started sniffing them.

Sasha laughed and got off Seth as the pug continued to lick them both. Seth groaned but let Max slobber him with kisses.

"I think he's jealous," Seth teased, watching as Sasha adjusted her tank top and took Max in her arms. "You owe me one," he told the dog, making a face at it jokingly.

They laid back down, Max now lying in between Sasha and Seth.

"Great," he muttered. "Now we can't even cuddle."

Sasha giggled and scooted closer without squishing Max, wrapping one leg around Seth. "You're really sweet, you know that? I wish more people knew that about you."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Don't ruin my image now."

"Seriously," Sasha told him. "There's a lot more to Seth Rollins than what people think," she brushed her hand against his cheek. "I'm just lucky I get to be with that Seth Rollins every day."

Seth smiled at her—a genuine smile that warmed her heart as he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Well, this Seth Rollins isn't going anywhere."

…

Hooray for this long and sweet update! This was so fun to write. I was literally sneaking around in the office, pretending to work, when really I was writing this chapter. Hahaha! Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be able to update until after HIAC because I want to wait for the results first before I write the next chapter. Hope you guys are okay with that! Unless you have suggestions or ideas for another update before HIAC, because I'm open to them! Let me know!


	16. Chapter 16

The entire backstage watched in silence as the cell was slowly lowered onto Charlotte and Sasha. Both had made Wrestlemania-worthy entrances, with Charlotte pulling off a regal arrival while Sasha did it like a legit boss, similar to how she did her entrance during her historic ironwoman match against Bayley.

Seth sat alone on a production crate, eyes glued to the TV screen, his face poker. A few seconds later, Roman grabbed a chair and joined him, followed by Bayley, Finn and Sami, and before he knew it, even Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, The New Day, and Cesaro sat around the screen, not saying anything.

The action began with Charlotte throwing Sasha through a power bomb on the announcers' table and Sasha sold the back injury really well—the whole gimmick of having a stretcher and neck brace brought out got viewers extremely nervous.

"You okay, man?" Roman asked Seth, who was too quiet, which was completely out of character.

"Yeah," Seth nodded, eyes never leaving the screen.

It was a gruelling 40 minutes of watching the two women square it off—each having an upper hand and putting the other through a series of heart-stopping bumps and moments. Seth could feel his heart pounding loudly against his chest—he could never tell with Sasha whenever she was selling a move that really hurt, what with how she contorted her body and screamed, or if she was really in excruciating pain. She had a knack for that sort of thing.

"Oh god, this is making me so nervous," Seth finally muttered, shaking his head as Sasha crashed against the steel chair. Bayley had her eyes covered most of the time, prompting Finn to place an arm around her shoulders.

Sasha brought in another table, but there was something strange about her movements. Seth tried to study her face to see if there was anything wrong.

Charlotte suddenly gained momentum and casually tossed Sasha a few times on the table that leaned against the turnbuckle, before going for a quick pin. "1-2-3!" the referee counted.

"Fuck!" Seth exclaimed, eyes in disbelief. Was the match supposed to end that abruptly? Something felt off, and everyone in the room knew it.

Jumping off the crate, he ran towards the curtains to wait for Sasha, who was practically carried off from the ring to the back by officials. "Can we clear the area?" one of the officials requested, pushing past a few members of the production team and past Seth.

"Sasha!" Seth called out, making a move to help but a couple of men from the medic team stopped him. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked.

"We don't know for sure, but she's in a lot of pain. We need to bring her to the hospital," one of them explained.

"I'm coming with," Seth followed, but was stopped again by some of the production team.

"No, Seth. You need to rest. You have to be in Hartford tomorrow night then you leave for Frankfurt on Tuesday."

"I don't care! I'm coming with!"

His emotions were getting the better of him, as he slammed his fist against a production crate. "Seth!" Roman called out. "Calm down, brother."

"I'm going with Sasha tonight. She's not going to be alone in this," he said with such finality that no one, not even Roman, could convince him otherwise.

Taking Sasha's arm, he helped lift her up gently as they walked her towards the infirmary. When she was placed on a bed, Sasha whimpered and let the tears flow—it slowly sunk in that the ending of her match was not how she and Charlotte had planned for it to be, and that Charlotte needed to end it sooner after hearing a faint crack that alarmed both of them.

"Sssh, it's okay. You're okay," Seth kneeled and gently stroked her hair, kissing her forehead. "You're okay, Banks."

Charlotte came rushing in, concern painted all over her face. "Babe, are you okay?"

Bayley entered the room as well, as Charlotte hugged her and started crying on her shoulder. "I don't know what happened. We did everything we talked about, but something went off, and I don't know," Charlotte sobbed.

"It's all part of the business," Bayley consoled her softly. "These things happen. It'll be okay. Sasha's tough—she'll be fine."

After the attending physician checked in on her, one of the crew signaled that an ambulance had arrived to bring Sasha to the hospital. Bayley handed Seth their bags, who thanked her. "I'll follow to Hartford tomorrow before the show," he told Bayley. "I just don't want Sasha to be alone tonight."

Bayley nodded, not fighting Seth on this. "Just keep us updated, alright?"

…

It was 1am when Seth got an update from the doctors that Sasha had suffered from a slight concussion and a fractured rib, which would entail at least six weeks to heal.

"I'm missing Survivor Series," she said softly from the hospital bed, looking down at her lap.

"Hey," Seth lifted her chin up to look her in the eyes. "I'm just glad it's nothing too serious. You scared me there."

Sasha sighed, wiping away the tear that was forming as Seth took a seat beside her and kissed her temple. "Look, I've got to get to Hartford tomorrow but I can stay with you tonight and we can get you settled in your apartment. Sound good?"

"I guess," Sasha shrugged, making a move to get off the bed.

"Easy," Seth guided her. "I already gave Hunter an update. Charlotte and Bayley, too. They'll work something out with creative, so all you need to do is just rest for the next few weeks."

When they arrived at Sasha's apartment, with Max eyeing them from the living room before going back to sleep, Seth slowly placed her down on the couch and went straight for the fridge to prepare an ice pack. "You'll need to ice the area for 20 minutes every hour while you're awake," he handed her an ice pack that was wrapped in a hand towel. "I already got you your prescription meds to help lessen the pain, so you can drink one tonight after you grab something to eat. I'll fix up something."

Seth moved around her kitchen, and tried his best to come up with something. Sasha watched him in awe and had never felt so appreciative of his efforts, despite the pain in her ribs and despite feeling bad about missing out on the live shows in Europe for the next two weeks. In the end, he whipped up a ham, egg and cheese sandwich that Sasha gratefully gobbled down.

"Do you want me to call your mom?" he asked her, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

"No, it's okay," Sasha shook her head. "I don't want to alarm her. Though I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know I'll be home for a bit."

Seth brushed her hair back and placed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm just really glad you're okay."

"Sucks that I had to lose the title though—in my hometown no less," she sighed, letting the coolness of the ice pack soothe her.

"I'm sure they're just setting you up for something bigger," he assured her. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

She slowly made her way to the bedroom and grabbed pajamas from her closet, before taking a quick shower. Seth waited outside and told her to call him in case she needed help with anything.

After a few minutes, he heard the water stop running. There was a bit of shuffling, until her head popped out of the door. She was already wearing her pajama bottoms, but a towel was wrapped around her bare chest. "Um, Seth?"

"Yeah?" he stood up from her bed.

"I, uh, need help with my pj's," she looked down, embarrassed. "It hurts to lift my arms up."

He chuckled and entered the bathroom, taking the pale pink cotton top from the rack. "Here," he gently placed her arm through the right hole first, then stretched the material to get her head in. Just as he slowly put her left arm through, the towel fell off, exposing her naked chest to him.

"Shit, sorry," he looked away, letting Sasha pull down the rest of her top.

Her face was a little red, but she smiled and tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

After Seth took a quick shower, they both snuggled under the covers of her bed—Sasha's head comfortably resting on the crook of his neck.

"What time do you leave tomorrow?" she asked softly, enjoying the feel of his arms gently wrapped around her.

"I can leave by 4pm. I'm in no rush," he told her, kissing her temple.

"Then you leave for Frankfurt after?" he could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Yeah," he looked down—she was pouting a little, and all he wanted to do was kiss it away. "Raw airs in Glasgow next week, but I can fly to you from Buffalo the week after."

Sasha sighed and nodded, wrapping one leg around him. It seemed clingy, but Seth liked that she was showing more affection now more than ever.

I love you—he wanted to whisper the words to her but decided maybe it was best to wait it out.

…

Sorry for the late update! Still a little shaken from HIAC and Raw, and instead of finding inspiration, I think I'm suffering from a writer's block. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated, and maybe you guys can help a sistah out! Where do I go from here?!


	17. Chapter 17

Sasha leaned back comfortably against her couch, wearing one of Seth's shirts while watching the RAW episode that was currently taking place in Hartford. On the coffee table was a mug of hot chocolate, which she had prepared for herself to soothe her and beside it, an ice pack wrapped in a towel.

Max snuggled on her lap, enjoying the belly rubs she gave absentmindedly. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be doing what she was doing, but she wanted to see her friends—most especially Seth. He was closing the show together with Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns, and seeing him stand in the ring while he and Roman stared each other down gave her the goose bumps—a preview that The Shield might just have a mini reunion during Survivor Series.

She missed him already, and if she had to be completely honest, she nearly cried when he said goodbye to her that afternoon—their gentle kiss had almost turned into a heated make out session, but Seth pulled away, not wanting to hurt her.

"I'll see you in two weeks. I promise, I'll fly straight here," he assured her, placing both thumbs on her cheeks to force a smile. "Promise me you'll take good care of yourself, alright? I'll call you whenever I can. Keep yourself busy, and as soon as the doctor clears you, go out for a run. Go to the gym. Go do grocery with your mom. Just…be okay for me, promise?"

Sasha nodded and sighed. "I'll be fine, I promise," she told him. "I'll miss you though."

Seth smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. "I'll miss you, too."

She wrapped her arms around him, and inhaled his scent, trying to memorize it. "What are you doing?" he chuckled.

"Nothing. Just—trying to remember how you smell," she giggled softly. "It'll help me get by for the next two weeks."

Seth laughed before kneeling down to open his suitcase. "Geez, Banks. You're making me cheesy as fuck, but if this helps you," he grabbed one of his shirts, sprayed his cologne, and handed it to her while playfully rolling his eyes.

She grinned, taking the shirt from him. "Thanks, Rollins."

"I'll see you soon," he pressed a kiss to her forehead before rolling his suitcase out of her apartment. Sasha's heart dropped a bit, waving goodbye.

…

Seth wasn't kidding when he said he'd call whenever he could—whether he was in his hotel room, backstage, or out with the guys, he made it a point to FaceTime with her during the hours she was awake.

"Hey, Sash," he smiled when her face popped up on his screen. "How's my girl?"

"Your girl?" she repeated, cocking her eyebrow while fighting the smile creeping up.

"What? Am I not allowed to call you that?"

"No, your girl's good," she blushed a little. "I just gave Max a walk. How's London?"

"Meh, gloomy as usual," he shrugged. "Listen, I have a little surprise for you."

"Hi, baaaabe!" Charlotte and Bayley both popped up on Sasha's screen.

"Baaaabe!" Sasha grinned, waving eagerly at both of them.

"How are you? You doing okay?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm good. It actually feels nice to be home. Been spending a lot of time with my mom when she's not at work, plus Max keeps me company all day," she angled the screen so that Max could be seen in the background.

"Hey, we might have a couple of days off after Buffalo. How about we come visit you?" Bayley took the phone from Seth, who sneered and took it back.

"Uh, no. I'm visiting her then," he said, keeping his phone out of Charlotte and Bayley's reach.

"Uh, since when do you dictate Sasha's schedule?"

"I'm not dictating her schedule. I'm just saying, there won't be any space in her apartment so if you want to visit, you and Queen Bee over here can book a hotel."

"You can take the couch," Charlotte pointed out.

"Noooo," Seth shook his head. "Stop stealing my time with Sasha, geez!"

Bayley and Charlotte laughed as Seth was beginning to show his ill-tempered side. Sasha couldn't help but giggle either. "You're all welcome to visit. We can figure out where to put you guys in here."

"We get the bed," he told Sasha. "We'll stick these two in the couch," he gestured towards Bayley and Charlotte, who were still snickering.

"Alright, love birds. Hate to break this call, but we need to get going," Charlotte spoke, waving at Sasha. "Bye, babe. Love you."

"Love you, Sash," Bayley angled the phone so she was seen, before handing it back to Seth.

"Uh. Bye, Sash. I'll call you soon, alright?" he said.

"What? That's it?" Charlotte teased.

"Shut up!" Sasha heard Seth exclaim before he ended the call.

She laughed softly to herself, her cheeks turning a little red.

…

A few days later, Sasha heard a knock on her door. She looked at the time and wondered who it was, considering her mom was still at work and there was really nobody else she was expecting.

Opening the door carefully, she found Jeff standing in casual clothes while holding a box of doughnuts. "Hey," he greeted, smiling awkwardly.

"Jeff? What are you doing here?"

From behind, Max barked eagerly as he made a move towards the door but Sasha stopped him.

"Relax. I'm not here to take him away," he chuckled, nodding at Max. "I heard you were in town nursing an injury so," Jeff handed her the box of doughnuts. "Just thought this would cheer you up," he said. "Consider it as a peace offering, too."

Sasha cocked an eyebrow. "Um, okay?"

"So can I come in or what?" he asked.

"I guess," Sasha shrugged, opening the door to let him in.

She placed the doughnuts on the table in front of her couch, before preparing two mugs of brewed coffee. "You realize this is weird, right?" she told him, handing him one of the mugs.

"Hey, we were married at one point. We could at least try to be friends?" he suggested, taking a doughnut and offering some to Sasha, who got one of the chocolate-flavored ones.

Max seemed excited to see both of them together as he jumped on the couch and made himself comfortable in between them. Jeff ate his doughnut and casually took a sip of his coffee.

"Look, I'm not sure I forgive you just yet. You've been a complete asshole lately so," she shrugged.

Jeff sighed. "Fine. Fair point. Look, I'm sorry, alright?" he said, standing up. "I know I've been a real jerk to you, and I do feel bad about everything I said. But if you need a friend around here, and I'm pretty sure you could use one, just give me a call."

He gave her one last smile before heading out of the apartment.

…

"Hey," Seth greeted through the screen as he leaned back against his hotel bed. It was 2am where he was, but he was willing to give up sleep if it meant being able to talk to her.

"Hey," Sasha smiled, curling up in her own bed.

"How are you?" his voice was a little tired, but he tried his best to fight it.

"I'm okay. I had dinner with my mom tonight," she told him.

"That's nice. The rib still hurt?"

"Not as much anymore. I think I might be cleared to work out by next week."

"Yeah? That's good," Seth smiled, his eyes getting droopy.

"Hey, something weird happened today," she told him, scrunching her brows a bit. Was it a good idea to be telling him this?

"Why, what's up?"

"Jeff came by," she said.

As soon as he heard Jeff's name, the exhaustion he felt earlier left his body and he furrowed his brows, sitting up higher. "What? What the hell did he want?"

"He brought me doughnuts. Said he heard I was in town because of my injury, and that if I needed a friend, I could always give him a call."

Seth bit the inside of his cheek and was silent for a while. "Well, are you going to?"

Sasha shrugged. "I don't know—"

"Because I thought you were done with him."

"Seth, relax. He was just trying to apologize and do something nice—for once."

"Now you're defending him."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are!" he was getting frustrated. "Look," he sighed. "I know I'm not in the position to tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing—but I'm telling you, that guy didn't just come over to make peace with you. He's taking advantage of you because he knows you're vulnerable."

"I can handle myself just fine, Seth," her voice was sharp.

"I know you can. I just don't trust that guy, period."

"Seth, he was my husband before you became my boyf—" Sasha stopped herself. Was she really about to say it?

"Your what?" Seth couldn't help but smirk.

"Point is," Sasha continued. "I know him well enough to recognize if he's playing games or not, and Jeff will always be Jeff. He'll always have that soft spot for me."

Seth didn't like hearing this at all, as the scowl on his face returned. "Whatever. It's your life. Go do what you want."

He knew he sounded a little immature, but when he was frustrated, he had a tendency to speak his mind without hitting the brakes.

"Seth…" Sasha pouted.

"Look, I have to go," he said, looking away. "I'll just call you, alright?"

Sasha's heart dropped but she nodded anyway. "Alright. Goodnight, Seth. I miss you."

Seth sighed. "Goodnight, Sash."


	18. Chapter 18

Three days had passed and Seth still hadn't called. By now, they were already in Vienna, which meant there were only two live shows left before they flew to Buffalo for RAW. Sasha was beginning to feel his absence, so she threw her pride aside and called him.

"Hello?" came his groggy voice.

"Seth? Sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's fine," he answered, rubbing his eyes awake. It was only a little past 11pm, but the tour had taken its toll and he was exhausted. "What's up?"

Sasha winced a little; his cold shoulder was really affecting her. "Nothing. I just wanted to check in. You haven't called in a while."

"Last I checked, it was a two-way thing. You could have called."

She fell silent, biting her lower lip as she heard him breathing quietly on the other end. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll just go."

"Sasha, wait," Seth sighed—he really couldn't resist not talking to her. "I'm sorry."

Her heart fluttered, hearing the softness of his voice on the other line. "I get where you're coming from, and if it makes you feel better, I haven't talked to him and I don't intend to," she said.

"Yeah, but you had a point. He was your ex-husband before any of this happened. No matter how much I want to try and forget he existed, it's always going to be there."

"But none of that matters now. I only want to be with you."

There was silence on his end before Seth cleared his throat. Sasha could feel the smile creeping up on his face from miles away. "Be with me how?" he teased.

"Oh, shut up. You know what I'm talking about."

"Does that mean I'm allowed to call you baby?" he grinned.

"Baby, babe, girlfriend, whatever," Sasha rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm yours, you're mine. That's how it's going to be from now on."

From where he was, Seth sat up and raised his fist in the air. "Man, I can't wait to see you already. You've no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now."

"I know. Me, too," Sasha beamed, twirling her hair around her finger. It felt silly, acting like a teenager, but she was happy.

They talked a bit more about the tour, and what she did for the day. A little over an hour later, and Seth yawned. "Hey listen, I need to get some sleep but I promise I'll call you as soon as I can," he told her.

"Yeah, of course. Go get some rest. I'll see you in a few days," Sasha smiled. "Bye, Seth."

"Goodnight, baby."

Sasha grinned before putting the phone down.

…

Sasha woke up the following day to a knock on her door and a part of her half-hoped it was Seth, who perhaps flew in the middle of the night to surprise her. He was really bringing out her hopeless romantic side, and it made her laugh. Taking her glasses from the bedside table, she wore them, pulled the covers off, and hurried over to answer the door.

"Hey, Sash," Jeff greeted her, a paper bag of bagels in his left hand and a tray of Starbucks coffee on the other.

"Jeff, seriously. What is this?"

"Come on, it's just breakfast," he entered her apartment and placed the food on the kitchen counter. Max rushed out of Sasha's bedroom happily barking, as Jeff scooped him up in his arms. "Hey there, little guy," he hugged him before placing him back down.

Sasha exhaled loudly. "Look, I appreciate the gesture but there's really no need for this. You and I, we're done."

Jeff chuckled and took out the bagels, placing them on a plate before taking out a tub of cream cheese. "Is this about you and your new boyfriend?"

"It's not just about that," she sighed heavily. "It's about you cheating on me, breaking off our marriage, and suddenly expecting that we can be the best of friends. It doesn't work that way."

"You do know things would have been different if you were around more often, right?"

Sasha shook her head. "I can't believe you. Stop trying to blame it on me."

Jeff sighed. "Listen," he tried taking her hand, but she pulled away. "How many injuries is it going to take to get you to stop doing this? Why don't you just stay? I can help you get a job, we can work things out, you and Max can move back in with me."

"Jeff!" Sasha exclaimed, feeling a slight jolt run through her rib. "That's enough!" she tried to breathe as normally as possible to calm herself down. "When are you going to understand that this has long been over? I don't want to be with you. I'm not even in love with you any—"

"It's because of Rollins, isn't it?" he rolled his eyes. "Your new boy toy? What, is it because you guys live the same lifestyle and travel a lot together—that's why you understand each other? You do realize he once cheated on his fiancé too, right? That shit was all over the Internet."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "People grow and they change," she told him. "Seth isn't who he used to be."

"Then why can't you believe that about me?"

"Jeff—" Sasha paused, looking down. "I love Seth, okay?"

Jeff stared at her, his grip on his coffee cup tightening. "Don't think I'm giving up on this that easily," he said in a low voice, taking one of the bagels before storming out of Sasha's apartment. "Mark my words, Sash."

…

Seth's phone rang in the middle of him having breakfast with Sami and Roman at their hotel in Lyon. "Sasha?" he answered, checking the time. "It's 4 in the morning in Boston. What are you doing up?"

"Nothing, I just needed to hear your voice," her tone was a little strained.

"Baby, are you okay?" he glanced at Sami and Roman, who watched him curiously.

"Listen, instead of coming here to Boston, how about I fly to you? Makes more sense."

"To Davenport?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean, that's if you don't mind. Buffalo's so much nearer to Davenport and I'm cleared to do pretty much anything anyway—except wrestle. I could maybe do CrossFit with you at the academy, stay in your place, and maybe Max can meet Kevin?"

"No, I don't mind that at all," Seth was a bit surprised with her proposition, but he would love to have Sasha in his hometown and show her around. "What's with the sudden change of plans?"

"Nothing, it's just getting a little boring in here."

"Sash," Seth shifted his phone to his other ear. "What's up? Talk to me."

Sasha sighed and hesitated. "I want to get out of Boston," she paused. "No, I need to get out of Boston," she corrected herself. "Jeff's been bugging me a lot, and it's gotten to a point where I actually feel a little…uncomfortable."

Seth tensed and clenched his jaw—his face changing into an expression that once alarmed Roman and Dean back when they first witnessed it—like he was ready to kill. Roman slowly chewed on his food while continuing to listen in on Seth's conversation.

"What did he do?" Seth's voice was dangerously low.

"It's really nothing. It's just more of me not feeling comfortable being here first," she tried to explain.

"What. Did. He. Do," Seth repeated, his nails digging deep into the palm of his hand. He really had trouble keeping his temper in check.

"They're empty threats, alright? He's gotten delusional. All of a sudden, he wants me to quit wrestling and move back in with him—and that he wasn't going to stop until it happened."

Seth saw red and slammed his fist on the table, causing Roman and Sami to jump. "Woah, hey. Easy," Sami said. From the other line, Sasha heard everything as she sighed. "Seth, will you please calm down?"

"I'm coming to get you on Monday," he said. "As soon as my program is done, I'm flying out. And if I fucking see his face, I'm going to smash it in—not kidding, Sash."

"That's not necessary," Sasha shook her head. "But it would be great if you can come here Monday."

"I'll be there, babe," he ran a hand through his hair. "Call me the next time he tries something."

…

Jeff came to visit again the next day, but Sasha refused to open the door. When she was sure he had left, she peeked out to see a bouquet of flowers on the floor. He came back again that afternoon, only to leave a basket of her favorite waffles from the nearby bakery.

"This is getting out of hand," Sasha thought to herself, checking both locks on her door—the paranoia was getting to her.

The next few hours crawled, and finally, Monday arrived. Sasha made a move to start packing her things in her black suitcase, when someone knocked on the door. It was only 4pm—it couldn't have been Seth.

"Who is it?" she called out.

She didn't get a response, and she was a hundred percent sure it wasn't Seth. "Jeff, if that's you, I suggest you leave."

The knocking turned into banging, and she heard him yell. "Come on, Sash. Just let me in. Let's talk about this!"

Max started barking angrily, as Sasha scooped him up and brought him to the bedroom. "Jesus, Jeff. We are done. How many times do I have to tell you that I am never coming back to you? Just leave me alone," she tried to sound tough but the truth was, Jeff's actions lately were making her nervous.

A few minutes went by before he left again, and Sasha wished Seth would come sooner. She didn't even want to step outside of her apartment, even just to grab a bite to eat, so she settled for whatever leftovers she had in her refrigerator.

She made herself comfortable on the couch and flipped through Netflix, watching anime movies until she fell asleep. It was already dark when she heard a knock again, this time more gentle. "Who's there?" she asked almost defensively.

"It's Seth."

Her heart jumped and all of a sudden, the weight she felt was lifted. "Is that really you?"

"Geez, Banks. Who else would it be?"

Opening the door, she immediately jumped into his arms and gave him a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she exhaled a sigh of relief.

Seth cocked an eyebrow, carrying her while pulling his suitcase inside. "I haven't gone out since the other day," she told him. "He's been coming back, and I've been too anxious to open the door."

Seth tried not to let his anger get the best of him as he pulled Sasha in for a deep kiss. "I'm here now," he whispered in between kisses. "You're safe with me."

She let him carry her to the bedroom, laying her down on the bed as he removed his shirt and towered over her. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him hungrily as he made sure not to put any weight on her, else he might re-injure her rib. "Have you packed?" he asked, slowly peeling off her shirt to reveal a lilac bra. She nodded, unbuttoning his jeans so she could tug down his pants. "We can leave for Davenport in the morning."

Flipping them around, Seth was now under her as he clasped open her bra and threw it to the side. He stared at her for a while—hair tousled, lips swollen, and chest heaving. God, she was beautiful. He captured her lips again in a fervent kiss before gently pulling down her cotton shorts. "Are we really doing this?" he whispered, nibbling on her neck and massaging her left breast as she moaned.

"Yes, please," she half-panted, running her hands through his hair and looking him in the eyes. She had a devious gleam, as he grinned and winked at her before turning them back around to take the lead. He had wanted this for so long, and he thanked the gods it was finally happening.


	19. Chapter 19

Sasha woke up naked under the covers with Seth's arm wrapped securely around her. She shifted her position and turned to face him, kissing his cheek. "Mmm," Seth held her even closer.

"Morning," Sasha whispered with a smile, watching as Seth opened one eye.

"Morning, baby," he answered in a gruff voice, leaning in to kiss her.

Sasha giggled, letting her foot run up and down his shin. "So I was thinking," she teased. "You game for round 2?"

"Oh, am I?" Seth pushed himself awake and pinned Sasha down with a grin. She laughed, letting him take the lead again.

When they finished, Sasha headed for the shower to take a quick bath. Seth put on a fresh pair of boxers before walking to her kitchen to prepare them some coffee. Max followed him eagerly as Seth refilled his water bowl and placed two scoops of dog food in the other. He ate happily while Seth watched him, taking a sip of his black coffee every now and then. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Seth paused.

"Sash, you there?" the familiar voice of Jeff came from the other side.

Seth literally felt his ears heat up as he stomped over to the front door, coffee mug in one hand, as he opened it. "Oh fuck," Jeff muttered. "Didn't know you'd be back."

"I'm warning you nicely, man," Seth started, leaning against the door frame. "Fuck. Off."

"Or what? You going to file a restraining order against me?" Jeff chuckled.

"Don't push it, or I just might," he took a sip of his coffee casually. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with here."

"Yeah, yeah. You're the WWE's golden boy, I get it," he raised his arms up. "Look, I just wanted to talk to her. Clear things out and get some closure."

"Closure?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "I think you signing those divorce papers a long time ago was closure enough."

Jeff sighed. "I just need her to know that I still care, okay? And that she's welcome to come home with me anytime she wants."

Seth had had enough as his other hand abruptly gripped the collar of Jeff's shirt. "You listen here, and you listen good. Sasha wants nothing to do with you so leave her the fuck alone, because from now on, she comes home with me," he finished, pushing him away slightly. "So just go."

From behind, Sasha quietly emerged from the bedroom door in a casual dress. Jeff took notice, but Seth was too busy seething to realize she was right there. "I said leave," Seth's voice was low.

"My offer will always stand, Sash," Jeff told her, before looking at Max who curiously watched him. "Bye, Max."

Seth watched him leave before slamming the door. Sasha sighed and made a quick move to hug him. "Come on," Seth planted a kiss to her head. "Let's get out of here."

…

Seth's house was definitely too big for one person—it had three bedrooms, one of which he turned into the ultimate gaming room, complete with La-Z-Boy couches, a monstrous PC with an equally advanced gaming laptop, and every consul available. "Wow," Sasha looked around before picking up one of his games. Max followed them everywhere, adjusting to the new environment and too afraid to wander around.

"It's all there," Seth told her smugly. "Every game you can possibly think of," he approached one shelf and took out a few casings. "I even got these," he said, showing her his collection of Final Fantasy, Naruto, and Gravity Rush. "Bought them in the event that you might come over someday."

Sasha chuckled, taking the games from him before placing them down and giving him a loving kiss.

"Seth?" they heard someone call out from downstairs.

"That's Brandon," Seth told her, taking her hand and picking up Max with the other. "Come on."

They headed down as Seth greeted his older brother, giving him a quick hug. He and Seth looked almost identical, except his hair and beard were shorter, and he wasn't as bulked up. "Brandon, this is Sasha," he placed an arm around her. "My girlfriend," he said with a smug look.

"Yeah, yeah," Brandon laughed, giving Sasha a light hug. "Seth won't shut up about you."

"Really now?" Sasha grinned, nudging Seth, who rolled his eyes.

"Hey there, Kevin!" Seth greeted the tiny Yorkshire, who kept barking at his owner while eyeing Max. "I want you to meet somebody," he placed Max down. "Max, this is Kevin."

Max quietly approached Kevin and sniffed him, who stopped barking and sniffed him back. The scene made Sasha giggle, as she knelt down and watch the two dogs interact.

"Well, that wasn't too difficult," Seth commented, watching as Kevin casually walked into the living room and Max followed apprehensively.

"Mom and dad are hosting dinner tonight," Brandon started. "You know, to officially welcome Sasha," he grinned.

"Awesome," Seth rolled his eyes but smiled, taking Sasha's hand again. "You'll love them, I promise."

Sasha blushed a bit. "I'm sure I will."

"Hey, I got a few new games," Brandon made his way upstairs to Seth's gaming room. "You should check them out."

"You been playing a lot in there?" Seth called out, leading Sasha up the stairs again and leaving the two dogs to play.

"Way more than you, brother," Brandon laughed.

The three of them played video games until it was time for dinner, as Seth drove his Tesla and convoyed with Brandon on their way to their parents' house.

"There's my baby boy," Seth's mom greeted as soon as they entered the main doors. "Wow, did you bulk up since the last time we saw you?"

"Mooom," Seth whined, glancing at Sasha who fought the urge to laugh. "I thought we agreed you'd cut back on the stupid names?"

"Not happening, brother," Brandon laughed, watching as Seth hugged and kissed both his parents before introducing Sasha.

"This is, um, my girlfriend, Sasha," he placed an arm around her shoulders as she blushed slightly and made a move to shake their hands, but Seth's mom beat her to it and pulled her in for a hug.

"It's so nice to meet you, dear," she said with a genuine smile. "We've heard so many sweet things about you."

"How's your rib? I hope it's healing faster than expected?" Seth's step-dad asked.

"I'm actually cleared to workout already," Sasha beamed.

"She's coming with me to Moline tomorrow morning," Seth commented.

Dinner at Seth's parents was a delight, and Sasha immediately found herself so at home with them—they served all of Seth's favorites, including his mom's signature beef stew and cheesy potatoes. They laughed, talked about Seth's childhood, how life was like on the road, his recent European tour, and how this time last year, he was actually home nursing his career-threatening injury.

"That was a pretty dark place," Seth took a sip of his juice, remembering how much he went into depression and had shut out almost everyone, including Roman and Dean.

When dinner was over, they said goodbye and Seth drove them back to his house where Sasha eagerly checked on Max and Kevin. Max was asleep on Kevin's bed, while Kevin happily chewed on a toy bone nearby. "Wow, they're getting along pretty nicely," Sasha snickered.

Seth chuckled, before suddenly scooping up Sasha in his arms and running up the stairs to his bedroom. "You've no idea how happy tonight made me," he grinned, placing her gently on his king-sized bed and giving her lips a soft kiss.

"Yeah?" Sasha smiled, pulling him down again for another kiss. "I enjoyed meeting your parents."

"I love you," he suddenly said—his heart was pounding as he looked her in the eyes.

Sasha was taken aback, but hearing those words made her grin from ear to ear before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I love you too, Seth."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I'm baaaack! So sorry for the long hiatus—I've been so swamped with work and I sort of suffered from a writer's block (I still kind of am when it comes to this story) but I have a few Sesha one-shots in mind that I'd like to get out of my system soon, so watch out for those! If you have any suggestions on how to go about with this story, please feel free to comment! It might help give me direction on where to go from here.

…

"Welcome back," Seth held Sasha's hand as they entered the main doors of Quad City CrossFit, home of Black and Brave Wrestling. There were only a handful of people training that morning, as Seth led the way to the ring where his partner, Marek Brave, was doing a one-on-one session with a college kid named Dave.

"Alright, take 5," Marek said, as the kid climbed down the ring, gave Seth and Sasha a shy smile, and went off to grab some water.

"Sasha!" Marek hugged her. "Good to see you again."

"You, too," Sasha smiled at him. "How's it been?"

"Good, good," Marek nodded, giving Seth a smug look. "Heard you guys put a label already," he grinned.

Sasha laughed as Seth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm a lucky man," he commented, giving her temple a kiss.

"Sweet," Marek playfully rolled his eyes. "Never thought I'd see the day, Rollins. You've gone soft," he snickered. Seth made a face, as Sasha giggled. "Oh yeah, Sasha. You have visitors," Marek gestured towards the back. As if on cue, Charlotte and Bayley came out from the locker rooms dressed in gym clothes and spotted them.

"Sashaaaa!" Bayley exclaimed, running and giving her a hug. "We missed you, sister!"

Sasha was all smiles as she gave the two women a hug. "Did you know about this?" she asked Seth, who shrugged.

"Maybe," he said, though his eyes twinkled.

They all started their workouts—chatting once in a while whenever they took quick breaks. An hour later and they all decided to have lunch together at a nearby restaurant. Seth felt great to finally be able to place an arm around Sasha or kiss her on the cheek out in the open—it made Charlotte and Bayley giggle whenever he did.

Later that night, when they got back to his house, they cuddled in bed with the two dogs asleep on the floor. "Hey, so you get back in the ring in two weeks," Seth started, playing with her hair while her head rested on his bare chest. "You excited?"

"Hell yeah," she looked up at him and smiled. "Why, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just—have you thought about what you were going to do with Max?"

"Oh," Sasha was caught a little off guard. "No, not really."

"Well, if you wanted," Seth paused a bit, thinking of his words carefully. "He could, you know. Maybe stay here and keep Kevin company. He'll be in good hands with Brandon."

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. Can't think of anyone more perfect—plus he gets along really well with Kevin. Do you really want to take that way? Could be lonely."

Sasha laughed. "Marek was right—you've gone soft, Seth."

"Please," he rolled his eyes, before a smile crept up. "So, what do you say?"

"I think it's perfect," Sasha angled her head and gave Seth a soft kiss. "Thank you. It'll make things so much easier."

"Yeah, and we can always come here on our free days to visit."

Sasha smiled. The idea of coming home with him made her heart flutter. "I'd like that."

…

The two remaining weeks of Sasha's recovery went by pretty fast, and she was grateful. Though she enjoyed being in Seth's hometown and spending time with him whenever he was available, where he took her around and brought her to all his favorite spots, and even had dinner with his family several times, she missed being on the road and seeing everyone do what they loved most.

"Sasha, welcome back," Hunter was one of the first to greet her, giving her a hug.

"Thanks, Papa," she grinned—she loved using that nickname to tease him.

"So I hear it's official," he grinned back, earning a blush from the Superstar. "Ha, called it. Called it before you two could even sort out your feelings for each other."

"Stop," Sasha laughed, swatting his arm. "I'm happy. We're really happy."

"Good," Hunter smiled at her. "That's all I ever wanted for you two."

"Thank you."

"Listen, I know you still have your feud with Charlotte until we set you up with Bayley for Mania."

"Uh-huh," Sasha nodded, taking a seat on one of the production carts.

"But I was thinking of maybe doing something with you and Seth," he said. Sasha's eyes lit up as Hunter continued. "The fans eat you up—it's all over the Internet. I think you two could make a good gimmick to keep RAW interesting."

"It sounds fun," Sasha shrugged. "I just don't want it to flop."

"It won't," Hunter assured her. "We'll build it slow. Put you guys in a promo once in a while. Maybe even work out a mixed tag match. The romance doesn't have to come in until later. The longer we put it on hold, the better. It'll give them something to look forward to."

"Yeah, that works."

"We'll talk more with Seth and creative once it's all finalized. Make sure every loophole is covered."

"Got it," Sasha smiled nervously. It was one thing to be with Seth behind the scenes, it was another to actually be with him in the story lines—in front of the entire world. Not that they were hiding it or anything. There were photos of them everywhere after all. It just would have been nice to leave a little mystery to their relationship—kind of what Dean and Renee had.

Later at catering, Sasha sat with The New Day and Bayley as they ate their dinner.

"Hey," Seth greeted, kissing the top of her head and taking a seat beside her.

"Hey," she smiled at him.

"Wow," Big E's eyes grew wide. "It's one thing to hear about it—it's another to actually witness it."

Kofi and Xavier snickered, making Sasha blush for the hundredth time that day. She kept getting similar comments from everyone else—how happy they were for her, how cute they looked, how Seth was lucky, how she deserved to finally find happiness. It felt genuinely nice, and she constantly had butterflies in her stomach.

She took Seth's hand and gave it a light squeeze. He winked at her, before starting to eat his dinner.

When they got to the hotel room after the show, Sasha couldn't keep her hands off of him as clothes were thrown everywhere and she rode him roughly before they reached their peak together. She collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily, before looking up. He had a goofy smile on his face, as he pulled her in for a deep kiss. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you, too," he brushed her hair back.

She placed a hand on the side of his face, gently stroking his beard. "I'm really happy, Seth."

"Me, too, baby. Me, too. I've never wanted anything more."

She smiled at him, resting her head on the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent. It was her favorite thing in the world. She fell asleep with her on top of him, as Seth smiled and wrapped his arms around her small frame, never wanting to let go.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: So I know it looks like I abandoned this story from two years ago. I don't know how or why, but I suddenly found the inspiration to write it again. I hope you guys don't think I gave up on this story. I still love Seth and Sasha (borderline obsessed with them actually!), and I want to end this story right. It's just a little difficult to go back to two years ago and pick up where I last left off (which basically semi-followed the storylines at that time). I'll get around to piecing things together, but it would mean the world if you guys can give me ideas or feedback, because that'll help keep the fire going!

 **CHAPTER 21**

Monday Night RAW aired live from Las Vegas, Nevada as Sasha Banks sat quietly inside the Women's Locker Room, trying to get in the zone. She was dressed in a black, glimmering jumpsuit—her hair in loose waves that cascaded down an almost bare back and her makeup, as usual, was flawless. She'd be returning from her injury tonight, a big surprise for the fans, that was for sure—yet she couldn't shake the nerves off. Despite the hundreds of shows she's done, it was just one of those things she had yet to get over.

Since she was pulled from the storylines seven weeks ago, Bayley had taken over the number one contender spot, and she couldn't be happier for her best friend. If things went as planned, they'd be going against each other at Wrestlemania—a dream they both had for a very long time.

Sasha was set to come out during a championship match between Charlotte and Bayley that evening, with Dana attempting to interfere. As soon as the beat of her entrance music hit, fans popped in a deafening cheer and stood from their seats. She took a few seconds to bask in it—it felt so good to be back out there.

"Oh my god, it's Sasha Banks! Sasha Banks is back from her rib injury!" Michael Cole announced.

After hitting Dana with a clothesline, Sasha made her way to grab a sledgehammer from under the ring and used it to hit Charlotte in the chest while she had Bayley in a Figure 8. The referee didn't see it, which gave Bayley the chance to set Charlotte up for a Bayley to Belly. Once the ref counted 1 to 3, Sasha beamed and climbed up the ring, raising Bayley's hand up in the air. Handing her the title, Bayley cried as Sasha hugged her, before raising their arms again.

Backstage, Sasha accompanied Bayley to the locker rooms, as the cameras followed them. "Sasha, welcome back to Monday Night RAW and Bayley, congratulations on defeating Charlotte Flair for the Women's Title! Very momentous night for the both of you," Charly Caruso started.

"Boss N' Hug Connection, baybeee!" Bayley laughed while wrapping one arm around Sasha's shoulders. "That's what you get for messing with us!"

"Did you see me work that sledgehammer though?" Sasha mimicked her actions earlier and laughed along.

"Dude, you were so awesome," Bayley told her as they did their signature handshake.

"So were you, blah!"

"Congrats again, you guys," Charly smiled as the two women walked away still celebrating.

Later that night, Seth closed the show with Finn Balor in a tag team match against Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens. They had started to build his feud with Triple H through Joe, and the match had surely teased it with Triple H coming out to cause a disqualification—using the same sledgehammer that Sasha used earlier, and leaving Seth and Finn laying out cold in the middle of the ring.

Once the show ended, Seth took a quick shower and found Sasha at catering having late dinner with Roman and Bayley. "Hey," he greeted them, planting a kiss on Sasha's cheek. "Didn't get to see you all night. That was one hell of a pop," Seth pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"That looked nasty out there," Sasha said, referring to the beat down he and Finn were given.

"It wasn't as bad," he assured. "It's a great way to hype up the feud with H come Mania."

"Speaking of hype—wait until you hear what we just heard from production," Bayley leaned in close as if telling Seth a secret. "Word around is that they'll be launching a series of Mixed Match Challenges to air exclusively on Facebook Live as a way to hype up the Rumble."

"Wow. That's new," Seth raised an eyebrow. "How come Hunter didn't mention this last week?"

"You know how it is around here," Roman shrugged. "Either things happen too fast, or they don't happen at all."

Seth chuckled. "Can't argue with you there."

"I'm guessing we'll be paired in this," Sasha beamed at him.

"Well, I'm sure as hell throwing a riot if it doesn't happen," he winked back.

"I hope they pair me with Finn," Bayley blushed a bit just saying it.

"Of course they will," Seth rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure the whole point of this is to feed people's obsessions with ships. Want to bet Becky's going to end up with Sami?"

Roman laughed. "Geez, you and your ships."

"Psh, you can watch Sesha Ballins take over this thing."

"Ha! We'll see about that," Bayley stuck her tongue out. "Maybe Finn can bring out the Demon King."

"The Hugger and the Demon's got nothing on The Boss and The Architect, thank you very much."

"I'm placing my bets on whoever gets paired with Strowman," Roman teased them.

"Ouch, thanks a lot, Ro."

With a giggle, Sasha leaned against Seth and interlaced their fingers together. The next few weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble would definitely be exhausting—filled with promotions, live shows, guest appearances, and on top of that, the first ever Mixed Match Challenge. But despite all that, she wouldn't have had it any other way. Things were always bound to be interesting.

* * *

A/N: Not my strongest chapter I know, but I needed a transition from the previous one. Any requests on what you want to happen next? Maybe I can try to incorporate it! Let me know in the reviews!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Okay, slowly press on the gas but don't let go of the clutch just yet," Seth instructed.

"Uhuh," Sasha nodded and concentrated real hard on her feet.

"Banks, don't look at your feet! Keep your eyes on the road!"

"Oh, sorry!"

"Now, as you press on the gas, slowly release the clutch."

Sasha carefully did as she was told, but the car jerked forward before dying. "Uggghhh!" she yelled in frustration. "That's the fifth time it's happened!"

It was one of those quiet Wednesday mornings in the empty parking lot of the Black and Brave Academy. Seth had borrowed Marek's stick shift pickup truck to try and teach Sasha the basics of driving, but it was proving to be much more challenging than he anticipated—not just because of the cold December weather that dropped to 28.4*F but because Sasha seemed to be overanalyzing every step she needed to take.

"Just take a deep breath, and don't overthink it."

With a huff, Sasha shifted to neutral and restarted the car. "Slowly release the clutch while stepping on the gas," she repeated to herself. The car gradually moved as Sasha completely released the clutch while carefully pedaling on the gas. "Hey, I did it!"

"See! It just takes practice. You've got to time it right."

When the engine revved up, Seth instructed her to shift to second gear. "There we go!" he grinned, watching as she drove around the parking lot in circles, getting the feel of things. "Once you get used to this, driving an automatic will be a piece of cake."

After another thirty minutes of driving around and shifting gears, the two made their way to 392QC, Seth's favorite coffee spot in Davenport. Watching Sasha as she took a sip of her latte, he couldn't help but smile. They'd been officially dating for two months now, though whenever Seth looked back, it felt a lot longer than it sounded. From those days he used to train with her and give her tips when they were still in NXT, to that time he sent those flirtatious smiles and comments during the NXT All-Star Panel, to how affected he was during her match against Bayley at NXT Takeover that admittedly brought him to tears (even Triple H confirmed it in an interview), to the whole Sesha Ballins movement that began after the Facebook Live session with R-Truth, to the fateful night they ended up becoming carpool mates and gym buddies—Seth never really thought he'd end up with someone in the business as serious as he did with Sasha. Even after wrestling, which was way farther into the future, he could still see himself having a cup of coffee with her at 11 in the morning, just talking about life.

"So," Seth started, taking a sip of his own cup. "Got any plans for the holidays?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "It's kind of hard to plan when both Christmas and New Year fall on a Monday. My mom booked a two-week trip to Europe with a few of her girl friends so," she shrugged.

"If I asked you to come to Iceland with me, would you come with?" he grinned.

Sasha laughed—nearly choking on her drink. "Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not. Does it look like I am?" his eyes twinkled.

"Okay, but when?"

"In two weeks," he said. "We leave on the 19th then fly back on the 23rd in time for Christmas Eve with my family, then drive to Chicago for RAW."

"Wait, this is an actual plan? Like we're legit going to Iceland?"

"Already got the tickets," he took his phone out and showed her an e-mail of their itinerary.

"Get out of here!" she leaned back in her seat to absorb the news. "How do these things even go by without me noticing anything? So you knew I had nothing planned for the holidays?"

"Knew about your mom's Eurotrip even before she told you actually."

"Wow, Rollins. You're a sly one."

"I think they call it the Best Boyfriend Award."

Sasha was still in disbelief as she just stared at him with a huge smile on her face. "For real? This is really for real?" she asked again.

"Yes, Banks. Now come over here and thank me."

She nearly leapt on him—throwing her arms around his neck and planting kisses on his cheek. "I love you so much!"

Seth cackled before pulling her in for a sweet kiss.

* * *

The following Monday, it was announced backstage that the Mixed Match Challenge would be taking place the day after Christmas, as soon as Smackdown ended. Each week leading up to the Rumble would have one Mixed Match Challenge episode until the winners would be awarded during the Royal Rumble pre-show. They'd start teasing the teams that night at RAW, and to keep the element of surprise even for the Superstars, no one knew who they'd be paired with.

Stephanie McMahon opened the show, causing a mix of cheers and boos from the audience. In her black leather tights and leather jacket, she stood in the middle of the ring with a signature smug look on her face. "As the Chief Brand Officer of the WWE, it is my pleasure to announce another historic event happening in two weeks," she started. "Together with Facebook, we will be launching the first ever WWE Mixed Match Challenge!"

"Wow, what a huge announcement!" Cory Grave commented.

"Your favorite RAW and Smackdown Superstars will be paired together and go head-on-head against each other to determine which pair is the best of them all," Stephanie continued. "Episodes will be exclusively aired on Facebook Watch, Facebook's newest platform which the WWE is privileged to be using first."

Fans cheered as they all anticipated who the pairs from RAW would be. "With that said, I'd like to announce the very first pair to represent the RAW brand in this year's Mixed Match Challenge. And I think it's only fitting that I introduce this Superstar first as he is the Number One Draft pick—ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Seth Rollins!"

The familiar lyrics of "Burn it down!" echoed throughout the arena as Seth emerged from the curtains in his black and silver gear looking as confident as ever. Stephanie beamed with pride as he walked down the ramp—a self-assured smirk on his face. Deep down, he was a little bit anxious because of the possibility that Sasha may not even be his partner, especially with the way things changed around the WWE. And if that happened, he'd be supremely pissed considering how vocal he had always been about wanting to work with Sasha—and this was before they even dated.

When he reached the ring, a production crew handed him a microphone as Stephanie spoke, "Now Seth, being one of the most decorated Superstars of today, and considering that you are MY number one pick," Seth fought the urge to roll his eyes and gave Stephanie an amused look to keep in character, "I am more than confident that you and your partner can bring home the win for Team RAW. And I know you'll be needing a partner who shines just as brightly as you; a partner who is just as talented and as dedicated; a partner who carries this brand on her shoulders like you do, which is why you'll be needing a Legit Boss on your side."

Hearing this, fans screamed and stood from their seats as Sasha's entrance music hit. "Seth, I'd like you to meet your partner—Sasha Banks!"

Seth raised his fist in the air, not bothering to hide his excitement as he watched Sasha strut out of the curtains while doing her signature pose, wearing a Legit Boss tank top and denim jeans. Placing her gold sunglasses on her head, she made her way down to the ring and fought the urge to smile broadly at him. Instead, she smirked with poise and let him hold the ropes open for her.

"This is my pick right here," Michael Cole spoke. "I may not know who else will be competing in the Mixed Match Challenge, but I don't think there is anyone in this business who can top what Seth Rollins and Sasha Banks have done for themselves individually and for the company."

"You have a very good point there, Michael," Jonathan Coachman agreed.

As the cheers from the crowd continuously erupted, Seth and Sasha looked around to egg them on. Hunter was right about the WWE Universe eating them up.

"Seth, Sasha," Stephanie spoke once again. "You both know very well how much I take pride in the RAW brand, which is why I am counting on you two to bring home the win come Royal Rumble."

"Stephanie, Stephanie," Seth started. "You've got two of the brightest, not to mention, most talented Superstars here on RAW," he pointed out. "I don't care who we're going against to make it to the final leg nor who they've got on Team Blue, be it Strowman, the Usos, or AJ Styles—we're giving Smackdown a run for their money, won't we, Sasha?"

"Smackdown's got nothing on us, baybee!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Seth raised a hand, giving Sasha a high-five before pulling her in for a half-hug.

The theme song for the Mixed Match Challenge, One Chance, played to end the promo—giving Seth, Sasha, and Stephanie the cue to exit the ring. Before heading backstage, Seth took advantage of the moment and raised his and Sasha's arms to the crowd again. If this were a popularity vote, they'd surely win the whole damn thing.

* * *

A/N: So I merged a lot from 2016 and 2017 to make the timelines less confusing, at least for me. Haha! Things should normalize after Wrestlemania 33. Hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't forget to review!


	23. Chapter 23

The next Monday after Stephanie McMahon's announcement of Seth and Sasha being the first pair in the Mixed Match Challenge, the rest of the teams were revealed including Finn Balor and Bayley, Kevin Owens and Charlotte, and Rusev and Lana for RAW, while Smackdown had Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya, Braun Strowman and Carmella, Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch, and Jimmy Uso and Naomi.

It was also revealed that the first episode was between Seth Rollins and Sasha Banks vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya, while the week after would have Finn Balor and Bayley vs. Braun Strowman and Carmella. All the winners of the first round would automatically move on to the semifinals, a special airing of two episodes on Facebook Watch, before the final round and awarding at the Royal Rumble pre-show.

Backstage during Monday Night RAW, cameras panned towards Sasha, who was seated on one of the crates fixing the knee pads of her white and purple wrestling gear. She'd be having a tag team match with Bayley against Dana Brooke and Charlotte later that evening.

"Hey Boss," Seth Rollins walked into the frame wearing a Legit Boss shirt on top of his gear.

"Cute shirt," she commented with a smirk. "What's up, Rollins?"

"Nothing, I was just hoping to catch you and maybe talk strategy for our match against Nakamura and Natalya next week."

"That's easy—you make sure Nakamura is out of the way, and I make Natalya tap out," she answered confidently.

"I like the sound of that plan," Seth nodded.

All of a sudden, Finn and Bayley entered the picture talking about their strategy as well. "You just need to make sure Braun Strowman stays down," they overheard Bayley. The two noticed Seth and Sasha smirking at them.

"Hey partner," Bayley grinned at Sasha. "Fancy seeing you hear."

"Fancy seeing you here with your Mixed Match Challenge partner."

Finn playfully placed an arm around Bayley. "Oh, the BnB are dead set on winning the whole thing."

"The BnB?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Balor and Bayley!" Bayley pointed out. "You're supposed to have a team name. Did they not tell you that?"

Seth and Sasha stared at each other wide-eyed and started whispering.

"What?"

"How come we didn't know that?"

"We were not informed!"

"What's our team name supposed to be?!"

"You can try SnS?" Finn suggested. "Seth and Sasha?"

"No, that's stupid," Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Bayley placed her hands on her waist.

Finn chuckled, ushering Bayley out of the frame before tension rose, as Seth and Sasha continued to argue. "We don't have a team name," Sasha panicked. "We need a team name!"

"Dinner on me tonight after your match with Bayley, so we can come up with a stupid good name," Seth ended the conversation before stalking off, cursing to himself. Sasha watched him with a worried look as the segment ended.

* * *

Iceland in December was just pure magic—like it was pulled from the pages of a fairy tale. Snow covered the buildings and streets, and the mountains looked like they were dressed in lace gowns, but the Christmas lights added a sort of charm that tickled Sasha's cheeks pink. Though she traveled often for work, there was always something so exhilarating about visiting a place for the very first time, and that's exactly how she felt in that moment.

Seth checked them in Diamond Suites Luxury Boutique Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland. He had a full itinerary for the next five days, including swimming in the Blue Lagoon, climbing the rocks in Black Sands Beach, hiking at Skaftafell, and freezing their butts off in Langjokull Glacier.

The evenings had them wrapped up in sheets, usually sweating and naked, as they talked about exciting spots to take in the Mixed Match Challenge, their respective storylines leading up to Wrestlemania 33, how they needed to visit and spend time with Kevin and Max soon, and what places they wanted to travel to the next time they had a break away from the ring.

"By the way," Seth sat up from the bed shirtless. "I wanted to give you an early Christmas present," he took his wallet from the bedside table. "I don't want you thinking that we're moving too fast with our relationship, but just consider this a sign of faith," he said, pulling a duplicate key out. "It's the key to my house. I'm not asking you to move in. I just wanted you to have this and make you feel more comfortable around Davenport."

Sasha smiled, taking the key from him and placing a soft kiss on his lips. "This means so much to me," she told him. "And I do eventually want to move in with you, you know," she stroked his bearded cheek. "Maybe when things start to settle down after Mania?"

"Really?" Seth grinned, placing Sasha on his lap and capturing her lips in a fervent kiss. "I'd love that."

Sasha giggled as she pushed him down, pulling her shirt over her head and letting Seth run his hands all over her.

In the next few days, pictures emerged of Sasha on Seth's Instagram account—her climbing the rocks in Black Sands Beach and captioning it with, "Queen in the North," and another in Langjokull Glacier with the two of them all wrapped up in thick, black coats.

"Looks like you guys had a lot of time thinking about your team name," Bayley commented in one of the pictures, which Finn added to with three winking smileys. Reading it made Seth laugh—he wasn't normally the type to post as often on social media, but damn was he incredibly happy and in love. And he wanted the whole world to know that.

* * *

The next week, cameras prepared to film Seth and Sasha for another backstage segment. Sasha was busy fixing her bag in the Women's Locker Room when a knock came to the door. "Banks, can I come in?" she heard Seth's voice.

"Sure!" Sasha yelled, watching as Seth entered the scene.

"So get this," he started, walking inside with a box in his hands. "I just thought of the most awesome name for our team and," he put the box down on the bench, "I brought you a present."

Sasha raised an eyebrow and gave Seth an amused look, watching him pull out a purple shirt from the box that said "Legit Architects," and that played around with his logo and her signature white shades.

She laughed, "Oh my god, that is legit."

"What did I tell ya, huh?" he held the shirt up proudly.

"Um, excuse me?" Lana entered the Women's Locker Room. "What are you doing here?" she asked, eyeing Seth angrily from head to toe.

"Lana, chill out," Sasha tried to intervene. "It's not his fault."

"You are not supposed to be in here!" Lana continued to yell at Seth. "I will tell my husband that there is a pervert in the Women's Locker Room!"

"Hey!" Sasha got in her face. "Why don't you just quit your yapping? I said it's not his fault!"

"You," Lana seethed, pointing a finger and staring at Sasha with dagger eyes. "I am reporting this incident to Mick Foley!" she exclaimed, before leaving the locker room.

Sasha and Lana's little spat led to a match between them later that evening. Lana first came out looking ravishing in her blue suit, accompanied by Rusev. Half the fans cheered, while the other half booed, as they made their way down to the ring.

Up next was Sasha, who knew just how to make a confident entrance as always. Some wondered why she wasn't wearing her shades, but that was immediately answered when Seth suddenly emerged from the curtains wearing them, while egging the crowd. Walking to the ring, Lana and Rusev sneered at the two.

The match started with Sasha easily gaining the upper hand, taunting Lana the whole time. Lana was able to retaliate once in a while, but the Boss found ways to reverse or counter her moves. From the outside, Seth clapped and cheered, while Rusev kept slamming the ring in frustration.

When Sasha set Lana up on the second-rope turnbuckle to hit the double knees, Rusev decided to distract the referee by climbing the side of the ring. Seth was quick to his feet and ran towards Rusev, pulling him by the legs and letting his face slam on the mat.

Sasha proceeded with the double knees before climbing the top rope and hitting Lana with a frog splash. The match ended via pin fall, as Seth joined Sasha in the middle of the ring to celebrate—raising their arms up to fuel the crowd.

"Looks like the Legit Architects are ready for the Mixed Match Challenge tomorrow," Corey Graves pointed out.

"I'm telling you, this is my team right here," Michael Cole replied. "I'm banking on the Boss and the Architect to bring home that win."

* * *

A/N: Been enjoying writing this story again! So happy I revived it after two years. Reviews are much appreciated! Thanks, guys! :)


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